Strictly Sail Oakland 2012

This past weekend was the Strictly Sail 2012 Show in Oakland, CA. It is one of my favorite boat shows to attend. As the name implies, it is strictly sailing vessels of all types. There were close to a hundred different boats to climb all over. It's a sailor's playground. I particularly like the space on the Catamarans. No cramped quarters there. I was a little disappointed in some of the new productions boats. They've begun to get away from the tradition teak look and are moving to more readily available woods. Some of the boats felt very fake... well that's because some of the wood wasn't and it was fake. There was a feeling amongst our group that we were in glorified mobile homes. I guess that's the curse when ones own boat is A) older and B) semi custom. I am a fan of modern design, but several of the boats felt straight out of the IKEA show room. This was the first year the they didn't really shine, or that one didn't stand out.

As for the rest of the show, it was well worth it! I do have to say this is the first year we didn't spend a fortune on boat parts, but we did find a few new items that we will order in the next few weeks. The first was an item called Peek a Booo. The manufacturer wasn't even at the show, but while touring one of the boats we saw them installed on the port lights and really liked what we saw, or rather what we didn't. They are covers for the inside of the ports, very similar to blinds. They did a great job of blocking out the light. The design even calls for white on the out board side which reflects the heat away from the cabin. We stopped by New Found Metals, where we purchased our ports from, and he actually had one set up on the ports like ours. They have the cleanest lines and do a great job. They aren't cheap, but they aren't terrible expensive either.

http://www.zarcor.com/products/peek-a-booo/index.php

On a personal note, we had the wonderful time to catch up with dear friends. The first surprise was our friends, Dan & Becky of Nautidog, decided to spend a little more time in California. This was their first trip to the show and both seemed to enjoy it greatly. Becky and I spend time checking out the heads and galleys, while Scott and Dan were impressed by all the mechanical side to the boats. Kimber & Mike of Freebird came down from Portland. I've known them for years from my time at the Island Cafe. We got caught up and had a couple of drinks with them. If you are in the Portland area and need the name put on your boat, let me know and I'll hook you up with Kimber. She put the name on Reisender and we just love what she did. We also got to introduce her and Mike to our friends, Joe and DJ of Wyvern. We met them last fall while staying in the Bay Area. They were at the show promoting there magazine. A few of you may know it, Latitudes & Attitudes. All of our friends helped to make this a great weekend!

Well, back to the show, if you've never been and live on the west coast... GO!!! GO!!! GO!!!! It's well worth it and the location and view from the event are fun. For my friends in the Northwest, it's usually just as the weather is breaking on the Bay Area, and that much needed sunshine after months of winter is just what the sailing Dr ordered. If you don't want to drive or fly in, consider the train. It stops right across the street from the show, literally, and gets in a few hours before the show opens. Then hop back on for the return train in the evening after the show closes. Take some friends and make a party. You'll be glad you didn't miss this show!