It’s the 60th annual Vancouver International Boat Show, and despite cold, overcast skies outside, the atmosphere inside the event center here at BC Place is warm and inviting. The show officially kicked off on Wednesday, and saw 2,713 attendees; an impressive amount considering it being the middle of the week. Thursday’s numbers were quite higher at 4,502 attendees. As of writing this, the figures for Friday aren’t in yet, but I suspect they will be higher as well. If there’s one thing for sure, people are still interested in boating and all things boats. We can safely say, the boating industry is here to stay.

I arrived on Friday afternoon, not quite as early as I had hoped. A delayed ferry off Vancouver Island set my schedule back. Hey! They’re boats after all, and if there’s one thing we know about boats and crews, not all goes to plan sometimes, yet me make the best out of a given situation. In my case, as soon as I arrived at BC Place I made a beeline for the seminar rooms located on the main level. There is a fantastic line up of presenters this year, and it’s taking a serious serious effort on my part to prioritize them, slotting them into my schedule. Taking place in four different seminar “rooms”, some of the times overlap, which means unless I can clone myself, I have to say yes to some and no to others. Luckily, the majority of seminars are being presented multiple times throughout the show.

First up was an informative and interesting presentation by Sarah White, Marine Surveying – What to Know and What to Expect as a Vessel Owner or Purchaser. Sarah shared tons of great information, including some examples of failed components that were passed around the room. Next up was Laurence Yeadon-Jones, creator and illustrator of Dreamspeaker Cruising Guides. Laurence shared a multitude of must-see anchorages throughout the Pacific Northwest. Boudewijn Neijens, Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCMSAR) volunteer, shared tips and tricks for staying safe out on the water, including a list of the most common “preventable” incidents he has seen over the years. Last up for the day was one of our very own crew members, Tracy Sarich, with her fun and interactive presentation, So, You Want to be an Instructor. Tracy shared her knowledge of what it takes to make the transition into becoming a full-fledged, accredited instructor.

I have a ton of notes from each of the four seminars I attended yesterday, with plans to write a blog detailing each topic; stay tuned for that! It is inspiring to see so many boaters sharing their knowledge and experience from years on the water. With two more days of the show to go, I have my work cut out for me as I still need to visit the floating show located at Granville Island, peruse all the vendor booths here at BC Place, and find time to attend several more great presentations.

If you’re reading this and the show is still taking place (it ends Sunday at 5:00pm), I highly encourage you to come check it out. It is well worth it, and if anything, a great way to kick off the 2023 season as we all look forward to a long, warm, summer of cruising. See you there!