London Boat Show 2018 receives royal visit
by Annabel Wildey 17 Jan 2018 07:52 PST
10-14 January 2018
HRH The Princess Royal visits the 64th London Boat Show © London Boat Show
HRH The Princess Royal, a keen sailor, visited the 64th London Boat Show last week (Wednesday 10 January 2018), taking in a tour to view the latest innovations in the boating world.
Joined by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, she visited a diverse range of businesses. The royal couple met exhibitors including global dinghy brand, RS Sailing, and leading Swanwick-based RYA training centre, Urban Truant, to worldwide sailmaker, North Sails, and the UK's largest lifeboat and lifeguard charity, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
In her capacity as President of the RYA, Princess Anne presented the RYA Yachtmaster™ of the Year 2017 to four time Paralympian, Hannah Stodel. She was awarded for her first class sailing skills and empathy for others when passing her RYA Yachtmaster™ certificate of competence examination.
Howard Pridding, Chief Executive Officer at British Marine, commented: "We were delighted to once again welcome HRH The Princess Royal to the London Boat Show.
"As an industry, we are honoured to have the interest and support of such an esteemed public figure. She always demonstrates keen interest in all things boating when visiting the Show."
The London Boat Show drew to a close on Sunday (14 January 2018) amidst incredible sales reports, a vibrant atmosphere, strong visitor numbers and the fantastic launch of the all new Boating & Watersports Holiday Show.
Over the course of the five-day event, more than 52,000 visitors enjoyed a range of boats and products on offer from 347 exhibitors; this represents a significant average daily increase on attendance from 2017.