Looking ahead – boot 2020

Boot Pool

Sept 12, 2019

Düsseldorf, Germany – January 18 – 26, 2020

boot (with a lower case ‘b’) Düsseldorf, the world’s largest water sports trade fair, will open its doors again next January. If it ever occurred to you to take in a gorgeous show then do a bit of European travel, this might be the year.

In 2019, the show was spectacular. The Dusseldorf exhibition complex is a campus of 19 huge halls and 18 of them are all packed with boats, charter destinations, gear and other water-related exhibits and ecological ideas. Last year’s edition held almost 2,000 exhibitors from 73 countries with their products and services in staged themed worlds. A total of 248,000 visitors from 118 countries creates an interesting audience.

Huge BoatsThe show is huge, but manageable thanks to the groupings; a building filled with large powerboats connects to another filled with cruising catamarans. Runabouts and smaller cruisers are grouped in a separate building while sail cruisers take up the best part of two. There’s a building with gear and clothing, another with marine art. You can fill several days taking it all in; it’s quite something.

All of the European builders and suppliers are on hand, some of them are familiar names but others may surprise you. There are many brands that don’t frequently come to North America, or if they do not all models are shown to us. Since this show presents such a large international audience, many Asian builders as well as the pool of the world’s custom builders also use Dusseldorf as a showcase. The mega-yachts will astound visitors, particularly since this is an indoor show. It’s one thing to moor a boat at a pier but quite another scale to present it on a cradle with crowds and heavy lighting. The show succeeded handsomely of being both an entertainment and a shopping platform.

Beneteau DisplayDusseldorf is a medium sized European city on the Rhine. In mid January, the weather is quite acceptable, particularly if you are escaping the frigidity of the Canadian winter. The hospitality and great atmosphere is unique. Boats and Europe combine to deliver a very splendid winter vacation.

Learn more at www.boot.com

– JM

 

 

 

 

 

Video Gallery

Neptunus 650F Review

Neptunus 650F 400

By Andy Adams

Over the years Canadian Yachting has had the pleasure of doing several boat review articles on new Neptunus models and we are familiar with the qualities that Neptunus is famous for. They have all been exceptional yachts, but this is the one I would most want to own myself. It’s a personal choice and a matter of taste as to whether you would prefer to have a sedan express model or a flybridge but in my opinion, the flybridge layout offers some wonderful attributes.

We met with Neptunus Managing Director Jan Willem De Jong this past fall to take the new Neptunus 650F out in Lake Ontario. 

Read More

Destinations

The Other Virgin Islands

Sunset off St John

By Mark Stevens

I was first seduced by the United States Virgin Islands during a ferry ride from St. Thomas to Tortola to begin one of our earliest British Virgin Islands charters nearly twenty years ago.

A perfect sunset off St. John with St. Thomas views for backdrop.

Clearing Pillsbury Sound, surrounded by voluptuous emerald mountains as the ferry sliced through royal blue waters, I was struck by the unspoiled ambiance of St. John, the island gliding past our starboard beam and the irresistible charm of a village called Cruz Bay visible from our quarter stern.

Read More

Lifestyle