Strictly Sail Long Beach 2012

This was the first year for the Strictly Sail Long Beach in a long time. In years past it was a combination of sail and power. Scott and I are most fond of the Strictly Sail boat shows that are held around the country, with our favorite being the Strictly Sail Oakland show. When it came to our attention they were holding on in Long Beach we decided to drive up for the day, and are we glad we did. It was definitely a smaller show than we'd been to before, but they really made up for quantity with quality. It seemed to be a success from the venders point of view also. We overheard several saying how surprised they were with the number of attendees, especially on a Thursday. The best part for us, were the seminars on cruising Mexico and we think we've found a marina in Ensenada to stay while we check in. The marina was represented by the dock master and they offer to help with our check in with customs, which is very nice considering Mexico is changing it's requirements for entry and it's not really certain what all will be changing. The best we can tell, for those interested, you can no longer make your first stop anywhere in Mexico without clearing in first. For our west coast cruisers, this would mean no more going to Turtle Bay first and then checking in at Cabo or La Paz. You would be required to either check in at Ensenada or go straight down to Cabo without stopping. As of now, that is the only significant change to entry by boat. OK, OK.... back to the boat show: We also found a wonderful North Sails rep who invited us to bring our used North Sail into his loft for a free inspection and quote on putting a sun guard on it. The best thing is his turn around time: THE NEXT DAY!!! That's amazing as most lofts give a turn around of 7 days. I also fell in love with Dufour boats.

http://www.dufour-yachts.com/

Quality of craftsmanship really impressed both of us. They actually use solid wood throughout, not pressed or laminates like so many other manufacturers. Their representative was a fountain of knowledge on their boats. Usually when reps find out we already have a boat and are just checking things out we are quickly disposed of, but this guy was wonderful. He was really proud to be with this company and even made sure we saw the other Dufour on display and pointed out all sorts of features and details we would have missed.

We found that kind of pride in the product being represented was pretty consistent with the vendors. We rarely felt hurried or that because we weren't buying we were a waste of time for them. Every vendor we approached was glad to spend time explaining their product and it's uses. We only had one vendor who wasn't on his game. We felt he didn't know enough about his product, but the impression was made that he might have been manning the booth for someone on a break. So, in light of all our excellent experiences we'll let that one slip. We've got the website and address. There was one other wonderful thing about the show, most of the vendors represented companies that were from Southern California. We could go directly to the location within a reasonable drive from Newport Beach. For us this is great because it cuts down on shipping. Well for non -boaters this is all pretty boring, but for the boating geek I would recommend the New Strictly Sail Long Beach show if you are in the area. It's still no where the size of Oakland, but it's worth a look.

Fair winds!