Coleman Marine Insurance were once again exhibitors and sponsors at the 5th Poole Harbour Boat Show (PHBS), which took place from Friday 7th – Sunday 9th June. Interest in the Show has risen significantly year on year and this year all exhibitor berths in the marina and on the quayside were sold out with many first- time exhibitors at the Show.
Tony Pauffley, Broking Manager, Yacht at Coleman Marine Insurance took time out to meet up and chat with many of the exhibitors attending the show. Tony advised, “Coleman Marine Insurance is delighted to be an event sponsor once again and we are thrilled to see that the Poole Harbour Boat Show is growing in both reputation and size. It was good to see so many new elements to the show this year. We have been heavily involved since it was created in 2014 and feel a part of its journey. We’re looking forward to continuing to be a part of its future success too.”
Wave Boat UK showcasing innovation
Robert Wilson, owner of Arba nautika & Wave Boat UK was at the PHBS for the second time. He advised, “It’s fantastic for business, we’ve achieved loads of solid leads and hopefully even some unexpected exposure on ITV Meridian! We’ve brought along the full range of Arba and some Wave boats too. We’ve launched the 656 Wake Model at the show. It’s powered with a 300 horse- power jet ski and has grabbed lots of attention from boat show visitors as it’s an extremely innovative and new way to power boats – it’s new to the UK market and very exciting!”
‘Achieving brand awareness and sales’
Will Eveleigh of Silver Boats, based in Christchurch, was also experiencing his second PHBS. He said, “It’s great to be back here. We’ve had a few clients seek us out and visit the stand to see the new cabin boats. The show sees the UK debut of the 8.2 metre Silver Raptor which sleeps 4. It’s also the only boat in the show to have a Suzuki 350 horse- power motor. We’ve had a UK debut on the 6 metre Silver Tiger which sleeps 2 and are also showing the aluminium hull 4.9 m Silver Fox.
“We’ve sold a Silver Tiger at the show to date, to a local buyer, and have a sea trial booked on the Silver Fox. We’ve achieved lots of quality leads. It’s very much about brand awareness for us here.”
The Big Harbour Clean Up and eco- friendly boat show.
Jake Sculthorp and Rosie Bailey were at the PHBS representing their organisation, GoPladdle and the Big Harbour Clean Up. GoPladdle was founded along the south coast of the UK, with a mission to unite communities and clean up our oceans and beaches, focusing not just on cleaning efforts but also prevention.
GoPladdle’s team of willing volunteers drove the ‘Big Harbour Clean Up’ which took place in May, in conjunction with the Poole Harbour Boat Show and ‘Surfers against sewage plastic free communities’. At the PHBS they were displaying just a very small portion of plastic waste that had been collected from just one weekend of the Big Harbour Clean up. Rosie advised, “Over just one weekend of the beach clean- up we collected enough plastic rubbish and waste to fill 4 skips! Our display has instigated lots of conversations and interest from show visitors. It has been fantastic for awareness.”
Rosie continued, “We founded GoPladdle in June 2018, after having spent lots of time on the coast, noticing just how much litter and plastic waste there is, often in inaccessible places. As a result, we decided to buy some 2nd hand kayaks to assist in our mission to clean up Poole Harbour and since our launch we have held a few beach clean ups, partnering with the Council, Poole Harbour Commissioners and Lush.
The Big Harbour Clean Up display fitted in with the PHBS’s ambitious plans and aims to make the boat show as eco- friendly as possible. Poole Harbour Boat Show Marketing Manager Tracy Payne advised, “We are eliminating our use of single-use plastics, wherever possible, and asking our exhibitors to do the same. We provided them with our ‘top tips’ for being an eco-friendly exhibitor. We encouraged visitors to the boat show to bring refillable water bottles and provided details of all the refill stations to be found at the event in the show magazine. Poole Quay Boat Haven also provided refillable coffee cups to all of our exhibitors.”
Newfoundland working dogs – ‘a connection with Poole from the late 1700’s’
The Newfoundland working dogs were a welcome new addition to the PHBS and certainly drew the crowds. Members of the organization, New Forest Working Dogs said, “We are a training group and come together to teach the skills of life guarding and water rescue, using the Newfoundland and Leonberger dogs. It’s our first time at the PHBS. We are aiming to demonstrate the potential that these dogs can bring to the professional rescue services, such as the RNLI and coast guard. In the UK they are a much under used asset. We intend to educate and raise their profile. They were bred for rescue purposes and are trawler dogs.
“There is a really strong connection with Newfoundland and Poole. This is because in the late 1700’s there was a lot of trading going on between the two. They would export goods from Poole and bring dogs back from Newfoundland and sell them along the quay. The dogs were also used to run the fish carts!”
Educating and inspiring show visitors to ‘get on the water’
Tracy Lee is a volunteer at Poole Yacht Club and was on a busy stand that was created by local Poole harbour yacht clubs. Tracy advised, “The different boat clubs and their volunteers have come together as a joint collaborative venture to educate visitors to the show about sailing, water sports, share their passions for marine and inspire others to join them on the water. We are very well supported by the RYA and they have provided the stand and some marketing support, as well as hosting free ‘try a dinghy’ sailing sessions. We are also taking people out for a ‘try sailing’ sessions in a small sailing yacht. I’m particularly passionate about getting more girls and women in to sailing. Over the weekend we’ve enjoyed multiple conversations with visitors, it’s been great, as well as having the opportunity to speak on film to ITV Meridian. It’s all fantastic for our cause.”
RS Sailing
Romsey based RS Sailing were brand new exhibitors at the PHBS and were showing their dinghies, keel boats and catamarans. George Purchon of UK retail sales advised, “Our CEO visited the show last year and felt that it was important that we became a part of it, so here we are! One of our drivers is participation and getting people in to the sport and on to the water. A lot of people here are in the early stages of their sailing journey. We are keen to get our brand known and recognised. We’re gaining lots of leads, having many conversations and making new friends. We have a range of differently priced products on display, to appeal to the beginner, through to the elite performer.”
‘Affordable and hassle-free boating’
The Boat Club is based at Parkstone Marina in Poole. Co-founder Chris White commented, “The proud claim of The Boat Club is that we offer an affordable and hassle- free alternative to boat ownership. We have a joining fee, rolling monthly fees which give our members unlimited access to our fleet of 16 boats, all moored at Parkstone Marina. When exhibiting at boat shows we find that we plant the seeds of Boat Club membership with individual visitors. We connect with them and then invite them to our open days. It works really well for us and we particularly enjoy our presence at the PHBS. In the last year we have doubled our membership.”
Helping out on the stand was a Boat Club member, Paul Saroney who advised, “I have the benefit of a choice of boats without having the concerns of the loss in value of my investment and the enjoyment of a wide choice of boats. It’s hassle- free and I love it!”
A great day out for the family
The Miller family travelled from Bradford Upon Avon in Wiltshire to visit the show. Dad George was accompanied by 3 of his children. Monty 8, Ellis 5 and Maddi 13. George advised, “It’s a great way to entertain the kids. We like the free element and the fact that there is so much to do and see. As a father of 4 it’s usually so expensive for a family day out but this event makes the marine world and activities accessible. It’s definitely been worth the trip!”
Coleman Marine are the specialist Marine Division of Stackhouse Poland Group Limited, providing Insurance expertise and products across the marine insurance sector, from yachts to superyachts to marine business.
Please call if you have a need of our Insurance expertise. Tel. 01202 647400 www.colemanmarine.co.uk