There is a whole lot to fill you in on here. What can I say? It’s the fall, and that’s when we rock. So go brew a pot of coffee, and come back. I will still be here!
I. THE NORWALK SHOW
I was quite pleased to spend time with roughly 30 of my loyal clients at the Norwalk Boat Show. And just as pleased to have met several hundred new ones! Rain kept the crowds at bay, allowing me a lot of quality time with serious boaters. Within the next two weeks I expect to be able to report on two brewing deals.
How about this? We were pleased to get the Display of the Year Award from the quite picky judges at the Norwalk Show:
II. THE ANNAPOLIS SHOW
The Annapolis Boat Show approaches. It will run from October 13th thru the 16th. We will be displaying our 2008 Dealer Demo 72:
It looks like Vanderbilt, our 2008 Vicem 58 Classic, is heading down to Fort Lauderdale for the winter:
It is our plan to have her stop in Annapolis during the boat show, so she will be quite easy to see. Please call me for details.
III. THE FORT LAUDERDALE SHOW
From Annapolis the great seasonal migration (as in the Serengeti) continues, as we make our way south to the Fort Lauderdale show. It runs from the 27th thru the 31st of October. The lineup is still getting set, but at a minimum we will have the following:
2011 V72 Flybridge
Vicem 57 Sportfish
III. A CUTE LITTLE POCKET YACHT
Two very knowledgeable clients of mine (just beginning a quite exciting new build) commissioned a beautiful little pocket yacht to keep them out of trouble while their big boat builds. I just love the look of this Maine-built boat, and I expect you will too. Her name, aptly, is Dreamboat, and you can find her cruising around Maine next season:
IV. THE EUROPEAN SHOWS
Cannes and Monaco have just wrapped up, and Genoa is next week. We are displaying our V75 and V92 at these shows, and, I hear, to great acclaim. Here is a pic of the V75 on her way to Cannes:
V. TRUANT
I just got in a wonderful picture of Truant, our 2007 Vicem 70 listing:
Vicem 72 Truant
She is currently at the Essex Yacht Club in CT, and can be seen at any time. The complete listing can be found at:
http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2007/Vicem-70-Flybridge-2379888/CT/United-States
I just can’t say enough about this yacht, but I keep trying.
VI. ENGINE ROOMS – A DISCOURSE
And now, to quote Monty Python, for something completely different – A cranky discourse on engine rooms.
A friend of mine, a dealer of US-built boats, invited me aboard his line this week. I went down first, as always, into their engine rooms. I was something between unimpressed and dissapointed. On the whole I found them cramped, poorly laid out, with poor access to important components, poorly lit, with inferior components installed sloppily, inadequate soundproofing, inadequate labeling, and slapdash top-hung supports. I asked my friend how these multi-million dollar boats show at boat shows. His answer surprised me:
“Just fine! Our clients don’t go into engine rooms.”
That amazed me. I have found that Vicem clients live for our engine rooms. In fact, the improvements in our engine rooms over my last eight years are almost entirely client-driven. It it is not the first thing they investigate, it is rarely the third.
I am not sure why the big difference (or why it bothers me so much). Perhaps it is because so many Vicem clients started out as sailors. Or that Vicem’s are rarely the first boat they’ve owned (more commonly the fifth!). I am interested in your thoughts about this. But there is something I do know – Vicem’s are usually the last boats our clients own!
VII. IN CLOSING
I was oh-so-gratified at the shows so far this season to have had a couple of dozen clients ask me about the progress of the school that Pat and I are building in Haiti. As I explained, we are 1/3 done. Three of the eventual nine classrooms are complete, and you can see the latest construction video at:
We need a final and additional $90,000 to complete the school. In support of that end I am pleased to report that we are having our Second Annual Fundraiser this December 3rd, in NYC. Last year’s event raised $23,000, and the results are right there on your computer screen. I do hope you can attend or otherwise help. The details can be found at:
Save the date!
http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/4y7xrxaekmpxbyq3c
That’s all for now. But please stand by for the coming snooze-agrams. And as always, any questions before the shows, just launch a flare.
Enjoy.
