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Palm Beach Boat Show Opens With Some Flash and, Once Again, Downpours

Posted on: Friday, 24 March 2006, 12:00 CST

By Lori Becker, The Palm Beach Post, Fla.

Mar. 24--A light crowd strolled along the docks lined with luxury yachts and sportfishing boats. Salesmen hustled about, eager to show off their latest and greatest. Show organizers predicted a strong year.

And then, as if on cue, the rain came.

Afternoon storms soaked the Palm Beach Boat Show's opening day Thursday for the fourth year in a row.

The 21-year-old show opened at noon along the Intracoastal Waterway in downtown West Palm Beach with dark clouds hovering over the 900-plus boats on display.

By 2:30 p.m., the docks were nearly empty as showgoers sought cover from the downfall.

But rain doesn't keep away serious buyers, dealers said, adding that Palm Beach County's regional show often draws more buyers than some of the international shows.

"It's a sightseeing tour in Miami," said Daniel Berrebi of BRB Yachts, a Coral Gables-based dealer. "In Palm Beach, you have buyers."

BRB Yachts is making its debut at the Palm Beach show, as Berrebi launches the Italian-made Rodriquez Yachts in the United States this year.

Berrebi said South Florida is the perfect market for the sleek, sporty yachts. Rodriquez has added several amenities to its U.S. vessels, including a convertible hardtop and touch-screen control panels.

And the yachts' silver metallic paint stands out among a sea of white vessels.

"Europe is more conservative. In Florida, we can make more sexy yachts," Berrebi said.

And standing out is the name of game, when nearly every vessel is loaded with luxury -- such as the silk wall coverings, monogrammed towels and full-size hot tub aboard the Crystal Sea, the largest yacht at this year's show.

The 130-foot Westport yacht has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms (that's "staterooms" and "heads" in boatspeak), plus quarters for a crew of seven.

The 5-year-old vessel, which docks at the Sunrise Harbor Marina in Fort Lauderdale, is for sale for $11.4 million.

"You just look at what you're getting. It's top-of-the-line everything. Nothing is spared," said Ron Nugent, a marketing representative for the Westport, Wash.-based manufacturer's Fort Lauderdale sales office.

But while the Crystal Sea is the queen of the Palm Beach show, she's dwarfed at larger shows such as Fort Lauderdale and Morocco, Nugent said.

"This is a small boat there," he said.

The Palm Beach boat show is the third-largest show in the state, behind Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The four-day show is expected to draw about 50,000 people.

And sunnier skies are forecast for the weekend.

"This show is getting increasingly important. There are a lot of boat owners in Palm Beach," said David Mack, 64, who owns a 100-foot Hatteras and is looking to buy a larger vessel.

Mack and fellow Palm Beacher Ira Eichner, 73, have been to the show every year since it began in the 1980s.

"A boat owner is always shopping," said Eichner, who owns a 72-foot Ferretti.

But Pat and Janet Lenz, a retired St. Louis couple visiting family in Wellington, said they were among the many who were "just looking, and dreaming."

"There's no sailboats," Pat Lenz, 63, said. "For a poor man, that's the only way to go."

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To see more of The Palm Beach Post -- including its homes, jobs, cars and other classified listings -- or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.palmbeachpost.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, The Palm Beach Post, Fla.

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Source: The Palm Beach Post

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