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Strictly Sail St Pete was held last weekend by the Pier in St Pete. It is always a good time in a great location. This year it was even better because I got in for free!
I have a love hate relationship with boat shows. On one hand, there is always things there that tempt me to buy what I don't really need to enjoy sailing. On the other, I understand that if people like me don't spend money in the sport we love, the industry dries up and it becomes harder to sail and get the things you need to sail. So I try to approach the show with a clear head, an open eye for new products and ideas, and a budget to stay within.
By the way, any images were grabbed from the respective sites I mentioned, I forgot my camera. If someone wants me to take them down, just contact the site admin.
Most people won't go to the show with me because I like to wander through all the gear tents to look at stuff. So again, I went alone this year. That turned out to save me the entrance fee, since there was a Blood Mobile parked out front that offered free entrance for blood donation. 20 minutes and a few needle sticks later, I saved $15 and strolled into the show.
I have a strict policy when I go to these things of not buying anything, no matter how cool or awesome the price, on the first pass. I mentally tally up the things I like, compare that to what I need and how much I can spend then go back and buy what I need and can afford.
This year I really wanted to look at the Hurricane Hoops, to help secure the stern of Stormbringer to the pylons in my slip. Pretty cool device, works like parrel beads on the old working sail ship's masts. They keep constant tension while allowing for vertical movement with tide and wave action.
I also saw a cool hand fishing line from www.chaosfishing.com. I almost went for a waterproof chart book of west Florida from www.richardsoncharts.com.
In the end I decided to hold on all of that, and on my way out I picked up the ATN tacker to help me control my spinnakers, and hopefully start using them more. I broke my rule, and made an impulse buy, but I was on my way out and feeling a bit woozy from the blood draw followed by a beer (not recommended, but a cheap drunk;).
Most people spend a lot of time looking at all the new boats. Don't get me wrong, they are nice and are cool to climb around. But how much can you look at sinks and heads and beds. I climbed around on the Catalina 309, which is a great boat. I also hit the new Island Packet Motor cruiser, which I was surprised to really like. Maybe in a few years I can afford the $370,000 price (which is actually less than I thought it would be).
My favorite boat, the one I would actually buy if I had the money was the Gemini 105 catamaran. It is well laid out, not too big or too small. Looks like fun to sail, and only an 18" draft with boards up.
I ended the day as I traditionally do by walking down the pier over to the Good Ole Boat I actually OWN. I called my buddy Chad, got some ice to cool the beer and went sailing. We saw some of the new boats from the show being taken out for a test spin, and you know I was very proud and happy to be sailing on a beautiful day and I didn't miss any of the things that I didn't buy.
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