#southamptonboatshow – Olympic sailor Iain Percy together with Freddie and Hamish Simpson, the children of British sailing gold medalist Andrew "Bart" Simpson, who died during training for the America's Cup, TV presenter Matt Baker and children from the The Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, open the PSP Southampton Boat Show 2014, with "Bart's" boys helping to cut the ribbon.

The 12-21 September 2014 marks a unique date in the boating calendar, the 46th boat show in Southampton. The PSP Southampton Boat Show 2014, a festival of boating, will host almost 150 boat debuts, thousands of brands, boats, products and suppliers and features one of Europe's largest purpose-built marinas with over 2km of pontoons.

#southamtonboatshow – Dun Laoghaire yacht firm MGM Boats Ltd is exhibiting at this morning's Southampton boat show that runs until Sunday 21st September. 

MGM's Gerry Salmon claims the The MGM Boats boats for sale stand is the 'largest ever brokerage stand at a UK show'.

'We wanted to offer our clients a level of service never seen before in boat brokerage and this stand shows our commitment to our clients', Salmon told Afloat. 

The Dun Laoghaire firm is promoting its brokerage listing of boats worth over €60m.

The leading Irish marine firm is the Sunseeker, Jeanneau and Aquador agent in Ireland and is embarking on a winter tour of the world's boat shows at Paris, London and Dusseldorf.

The main thrust of the firm's activity is the marketing of Ireland's largest brokerage listing in Ireland.

Also in Southampton, BJ Marine who celebrated the end of the summer season with a bumper turnuout for its Greystones harbour regatta this month will also be in attendance, exhibiting at the Beneteau and Fairline and SeaRay Sports Boats stands. 

Bobby Nash's Latitude 52 map art firm from Kinsale, County Cork is also exhibiting at the show. The gallery will be in Ocean Hall Stand G003. Naash is displaying a selection from the British Isles, the Mediterranean and the Pacific

The PSP Southampton Boat Show today announces that TV star Matt Baker will welcome in the first day of the internationally renowned boating festival. Matt will make his entrance by sailing in to the Show.

Matt will be joined by Olympic Gold medallist, Iain Percy OBE, where the duo will greet the Show's first guests. As an ambassador to the Show's official charity, the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, Sir Iain Percy comments on the Show's support: "I've been blown away by all the support the charity has already managed to achieve. Working with the PSP Southampton Boat Show now offers us a great opportunity to attract even more young people to sailing."

Inspired by double Olympic medallist Andrew "Bart" Simpson, the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation helps young people to develop the personal skills that will improve their ability to succeed in life and to improve access to jobs and careers within the maritime sector.

As one of Europe's biggest outdoor boat shows, visitors of the PSP Southampton Boat Show will be treated to an array of exciting attractions, exhilarating experiences and world-class boats, all set against a stunning backdrop of the Show's spectacular marina.

Visitors to this year's boating festival will see hundreds of world-class boats, brand new attractions such as the Boat Show Eye and will have a number of opportunities to get out on the water to try out boats and watersport activities for themselves. Whether it's going out on an exhilarating Suzuki RIB Experience ride, having a go in the Challenge 72, or climbing aboard the historic tall ship Phoenix, there is something for everyone, children and adults alike, to have a go at.

Matt Baker, TV Presenter said, "I am very passionate about the great outdoors and looking for adventure, so I'm very excited to be part of the PSP Southampton Boat Show this year. I have always wanted to visit the Show and as a sailing novice it's the perfect opportunity to get some more experience out on the water. I'm looking forward to seeing all the wonderful attractions at the Show."

Tickets to the PSP Southampton Boat Show start from £15 per adult with concessions available for over-60s, disabled visitors and groups of 10 people or more. Two children under the age of 15 go free with each paying adult.

#sk2 – A new fast and fun sportsboat with a canting keel has been developed by Swing Keel Sailing Ltd and built by Ovington boats, a world leader in the production of dinghies and keelboats such as the 49er and Flying Fifteen, a leading Irish one design class.

The SK2 will be shown at Southampton Boat Show 2014 and will be available for test sails at the show. The boat will be in the marina in berth M010. Book your test sail early by e-mailing us at [email protected] or come to see us on our shore based stand at E032.

The SK2 promoters say the 'cross–over' boat is equally a capable racer for 2-3 crew or a performance day-sailor with family and friends. Developed as a strict one design class in mind it is equally suitable for a wide range of mixed fleet racing. The SK2 has been shown to live happily and be equally competitive amongst dinghies, sportsboats and more varied inshore club fleets. 

More on the new design here

#bjmarine – Last season saw Irish boat sales firm BJ Marine deliver several debut models to new Irish owners and that trend looks set to continue after September's Southampton Boat Show this season too.

The Irish boat dealer attended the show with a six strong team from the Malahide, Greystones, Bangor and Malta offices present on the Beneteau, Fairline, Sea Ray and Greenline stands.

The Beneteau brand was to the fore in Southampton with yachts exhibited ashore and motor boats afloat.

The new models, the Oceanis 55 and in particular, the Oceanis 38 are making big inroadsinto the modern cruising market and BJ report both designs will have Irish owners for the 2014 season.

There will also be the first Oceanis 48 in to Ireland in 2014. The MC5 (pictured) also created interest with owners recognising a step up in quality, finish and performance.

Fairline debuted the Squadron 48 and Targa 48 with orders for both and BJ Marine do have availability for several models for the 2014 season.

One noticeable point for the BJ Marine team in Southampton was the demand for quality used boats. There are both international and domestic buyers awaiting the right boat.

BJ Marine's James Kirwan told Afloat.ie "There are new boats coming home, we have marine finance available, we are taking trade ins, there is demand for used boats and the 2013 summer showcased our marine environment better than ever, bring on 2014".

Contact James Kirwan at 01 8061560

#mgmboats – Marine firm MGM Boats from Dun Laoghaire are open for boat brokerage business at this week's Southampton boat show. As part of its continued marketing drive, the Irish firm has eight sales people on Jeanneau, Aquador, Sunseeker stands at the show plus its own dedicated brokerage boats for sale stand featuring over 300 boats.

Crewsaver will be showcasing an exciting Drysuit range at Southampton Boat Show 2011. The new collection includes the Sabre, Cirrus, Zephyr for ladies and Razor for kids and have been developed following rigorous testing and feedback from experienced sailors who have trusted our drysuits for years.

They are constructed from a high quality 3 layer fabric, TX20K, which offers excellent performance and comfort in all conditions. The highly wicking fabric comprises a tough waterproof and windproof outer, a central breathable layer and inner lining. (MVP: 6,000g/m2/24hrs; WP: 20,000mm).

All Crewsaver drysuits have glideskin neoprene neck and cuff seals for easy donning and for optimum warmth and dryness.

For those out in the worst of weather looking for a hard wearing, hard working drysuit then the Sabre is the ideal choice. It features an additional storm collar for extra protection against the elements.

Additional features include high quality durable zips, integral braces for comfort, Latex socks to ensure warm feet and adjustable cuff and ankle covers for an optimum fit.

The features and fabrics of these drysuits provide the highest levels of breathability, durability and comfort you could wish for. All of these combined with new stylish graphics make the Sabre, Cirrus, Zephyr and Razor the only choice of drysuits for surface watersports users.

Visit Crewsaver stand B055 for a closer look at our new drysuit range and preview some of the other additions to the Crewsaver 2012 collection.

French builder Jeanneau launched its NC11 at the Dusseldorf Boat Show earlier this year and the new model will be on show this Friday at the Southampton Boat Show too. There has been interest in the powerboat model from Irish buyers 'because it is ideal for our Irish waters' according to Hugh Mockler of HM Yachts. She is easy to handle with her twin diesels and it is also easy to walk forward for anchoring. Below two promotional videos to whet your apetite!