Club Marine Pittwater Sail Expo 2013 - Ready to go

by Damian Devine on 5 Mar 2013 Club Marine Pittwater Sail Expo 2013 is set to go as all the preparations are in place and the doors are ready to open for the second staging of the sail expo to be hosted on the grounds of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, Newport over the week-end of the 16-17 March between 10am and 5pm.

This free community event will feature over 45 exhibitors supplying goods and services to the professional and leisure sailor. The club itself will be a feature exhibitor with members on hand to discuss all activities on offer including yacht racing, cruising, kids sailing and training and offer tours of the club. The RPAYC will also waive 50 per cent of the joining fee for anyone who wishes to join the club on the sail expo weekend.

The RPAYC will be bursting with activity with yachts of all shapes and sizes on display on the floating marinas, product demonstrations in the exhibitor marquees, tours of Wild Oats X and information sessions within the club.

Many leading marine industry brands will be exhibiting at the Pittwater Sail Expo including monohull and multihull yachts by Bavaria, Beneteau, Bluewater Cruising, Dehler, Dufour, Farr, Fountaine Pajot, Hanse, Hunter, Island Packet, Jeanneau, J-Yachts, Leopard, Moody, Salana, Seawind, Sunbeam, US Yachts and X-Yachts as well as Optimist dinghies, Etchells and Weta Trimarans.

Other marine goods and services will be displaying their wares such as charter and chandlery services, inflatable boats, marine paints, sail makers and sail cleaning, marine groups, electrical, batteries, ropes, marine insurance, yacht share and much, much more.

Pittwater authorities will have a presence also with the Water Police, NSW Maritime and Marine Rescue having their vessels on display on one of the marina arms whilst Marine Rescue Broken Bay will be volunteering their time to assist with the sausage sizzle, raffles and assisting visitors at the car parks.

With organisers expecting between 2000 and 3000 people to visit the Club Marine Pittwater Sail Expo over the week-end, a shuttle bus has been organised to ferry people to and from the club to pick up and drop off points in Newport to assist with parking demands. The Club offers limited car parking in Crystal Bay car park in Crystal St, next door to the club with public car parking available at Newport surf club and Newport shops. The shuttle bus will depart every 30 minutes from the main boom gate at the RPAYC. More details including a bus and parking map are available on the expo website.

Another great incentive to visit the Sail Expo is the opportunity to win a fabulous prize; a free trip for two during 2014 to one of Mariner Boating’s now famous yacht rallies in the Mediterranean valued at approximately $15,000 being offered by major sponsor Mariner Boating Holidays. It includes two weeks on a yacht sailing in company while making passage between ports where you peel off to do your own thing on alternate days off. The prize is also inclusive of international airfares. Visit the Mariner Boating stand at Sail Expo, register with them and you are eligible to participate in the draw.

The notion of sailing the coasts and islands of the Mediterranean, Caribbean or South Pacific is one that is commonly held by aspiring holiday makers but once again many deem such an experience to be out of reach, either from a cost point of view or because sailing skills and a crew are indispensable from such an equation.

This perception is also wrong as a visit to the stand of Mariner Boating Holidays at the show will prove. Mariner has holidays on the water for singles, couples and people with or without sailing experience at a price comparable with a holiday on the land. The added attraction though, on the sea, is that there is no driving, parking, hotel check in and check out and many of the best places on some of the busiest coasts are not accessible by road anyway. And then there is the sailing experience itself; environmentally clean, invigorating and very rewarding at the end of the day, to be savoured over a cold beverage upon arrival in port.

On Saturday at 1pm and Sunday12pm there will be a presentation by Mariner Boating on their cruising holidays to the Mediterranean and beyond. Also on Sunday at 1:30pm there will be a presentation by Olympic silver medallist Nina Curtis and current youth AC skipper for Objective Australia Jason Waterhouse on their experiences and how they got into sailing and some of the pathways available for kids at the RPAYC.

Club Marine Pittwater Sail Expo spokesman Maurice Gilet said, 'We look forward to welcoming and providing a great sail expo experience for both exhibitors and visitors and showcasing the club and majestic Pittwater. It’s also an excellent opportunity for the public who have an interest in sailing to learn more about what the club has to offer and all aspects of sailing, training and membership. '.

So if you have an interest or want to learn more about sailing don’t miss the Club Marine Pittwater Sail Expo.
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club is located at 16 Mitala St Newport and admission is free. A Sail Expo visitor guide is also available.

For more info on the Club Marine Pittwater Sail Expo visit: Club Marine Pittwater Sail Expo