First to learn the Metro, which runs high above ground, through the imposing downtown Miami.
The "Strictly Sail" exposition was actually quite modest compared to our memories of the Annapolis Boat Show of years gone by.
Dominated by large multi-hulls, few of the familiar mono-hull names were there. Hard times in the industry over the last few years, and very expensive to exhibit, I heard.
There was a ferry shuttle to the power boat section, again showing off the Miami waterfront skyline
The scenery featured this line up of cruise ships readying for their next adventures in paradise ----
The power boat section had way too many center console runabouts with two or three or four 350 horsepower outboard motors on them!
So, let's see -- 350 hp x 4 would be about 1,400 hp on, say, a 30 foot boat --- hmmmm?
Moving on rather quickly, there was another bus ride to an unrelated but gigantic concurrent "Yacht and Brokerage" show on about a mile long stretch of the Collins Canal by Miami Beach. It featured very large everything, including "Sportfish"
an endless array of large "Motor Yachts"
including this one fully equipped with a helicopter
I did learn a price point -- in the 63 to 68 foot range, in the used boats, one crosses the $1,000,000 mark - depends on age and condition, I suppose. In the new boats, I think you can't get to 50 ft before you get there. There were many boats in the 100 foot range.
The take away lesson: Latitudes is wonderful, love the one you're with.
And then, for something entirely different, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival which also ran last weekend, almost blockading our marina from Coconut Grove. It was a very large show, with almost 400 exhibitors, attracting an estimated 125,000 visitors.
There were many stands of jewelry (which I didn't feel qualified to buy for Bobbie), some painters, many photographers, most with very large, high resolution prints, several carnivorous plant vendors, a promotion for "Jungle Island"
and a lot of glass, pottery and sculpture, including this sculptor who specializes in humpty dumpty in all his foibles ---
and many food vendors.
Quite an exciting weekend in Miami. And -- Smokey and I miss Bobbie
No comments:
Post a Comment