The Fort Lauderdale International Boat show celebrated its 60th anniversary in suitable style with the largest show yet attracting some 1500 boats and 1200 exhibitors.

The show saw the unveiling of the new Superyacht Village, a 3.5 acre site dedicated to superyachts and the superyacht lifestyle. Sarrah Macey, CEO of Global Superyacht Marketing took a walk around the the new area and had this to say: “I’m very impressed with the new Superyacht Village. The quality of the yachts, exhibition spaces and social facilities are excellent, and I look forward to seeing how this area continues to grow.”

“One concern voiced by the industry before the show was that the size of the yachts on display at Bahia Mar would be significantly reduced, making this area less attractive to visitors. However, in true FLIBS style, Bahia Mar continues to have a superb range of superyachts, sports fishing vessels and smaller boats for the leisure market, along with an outstanding range of services and suppliers exhibiting.”

During the show Majesty 140, a 140 foot luxury superyacht from Dubai, was crowned the Best of Show by NBC Sports Network. An esteemed panel of judges agreed that the yacht featured the most innovative new boat model design on display. The yacht will feature in a one hour special on the NBS Sports Network in December.

FLIBS also saw the distribution of YACHT-OPOLY, the fantastic new superyacht board game from YACHTNEEDS. The game received an overwhelming positive response from crew, industry people and visitors to the show. Keep an eye on YACHTNEEDS social media for the video of Peter Lürssen and Sylke auf dem Graben of Lürssen Yachts, the infamous yeti from Beyond Two Yetis and James Williams from YACHTNEEDS enjoying a game on the deck of a superyacht at the show.

Four of the world’s leading yacht chefs battled it out to be named Best Yacht Chef at the FLIBS 2nd annual Sunset Soiree and Yacht Chef Competition. The unique culinary competition included Chefs Andrew Siebert, Alex Forsythe, and Jarle Saupstad and Danny Davies of MY Excellence who was eventually named as the competition winner. Guests enjoyed a selection of premium spirits including specialty Tito’s Handmade Vodka cocktails, Maker’s Mark whiskey creations, Whispering Angel Rosé, as well as a bubbly welcome drink from Moet & Chandon. Adding to the excitement, The Wheeland Brothers hosted a live concert followed by a DJ, which set the sounds for the dockside festivities.  The evening benefitted Mission of Hope and the ONE Bahamas Fund, two organisations focussed on supporting relief efforts and rebuilding in the Bahamas following the devastating hit of Hurricane Dorian.

All eyes are now focussed on next years Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show which promises to be bigger and better than ever.

We will see you there!