Southampton Boat Show

Every year we love visiting the Southampton Boat show. I have dreams of owning a little sailing boat or an open Canadian canoe to potter up and down our local river. These dreams increase dramatically when September comes up and the boat show comes into full force. We’ve been going regularly for the last 10 years and love it!

One of the things I love so much about the shows (head up to London in January!) is how much there is to see and do! Aside from the large beautiful yachts for the millionaire there is the chance to try out all kinds of different sailing activities, including the increasingly popular paddle boarding! And of course, you can try out a mini cruise experience on the Ocean Scene. There are food stalls all the way round and of course champagne!

The boys favourite is to head to the restored wooden ships and explore these. I think they both adore the tall ships too and love the idea of going on a holiday tour on these when they are older. It’s such an amazing day out with the kids as they get to explore and try out new experiences. Its lovely to see the boys chatting to the charity boats and finding out more about the world then they see in our little part of Sussex. Obviously, it’s very nice as well to head on board the sunseekers and figure out exactly which one you’d go for when your lottery numbers appear!

This year was no different and the weather was superb as well! The trade stands are amazing to wonder through and I would leave a good hour or two for this alone! From the folding bikes by Bickerton – which are great for camping not just boats to the gorgeous Marine Super Store whose clothes are perfect for the outdoors all year round. They very kindly gave us tickets to visit this years show and I’ll be popping up to say to them in London this year as they are so friendly and knowledgeably it’s a delight to stop and chat!

So why not head to London after the rush and excitement of Christmas has passed this year and attempt a new sailing sport and see which boat tugs at your heart strings?