AQUAPALOOZA!!!!! 10th July 2010 - Poole Harbour

[Nautibusiness]

OK, this post is about anyone who boats in the Poole area joining me for a party on the water.

http://www.aquapalooza.com/

Yes mods, you could see it as a commercial post, but IT's A PARRRRRTTTTTTYYYYY!
If mods take the jobsworth cap off for a moment you can see how all boaters and their families could have a great time.

An Aquapalooza is aimed at Sea Ray owners, but this is the UK's first and so we want to invite all boaters along to join the fun.
For the mods who still believe this is a commercial venture I promise not to try and sell anyone who comes along a boat!!!

There's a treasure hunt, family picnic at the beach, fun and games on the beach, prizes, party packs, a sundowner cruise aboard the Dorset Queen and a BBQ and drinks with live music to round off the evening.

PM me with your email address and I shall email a registration form straight across.
We'll give full details of what, where, what time and when to all those who return their form.

Hope to see you there.

Tom

Mods: Of course I understand that this post breaks the rules, but the only fees being charged won't actually cover our own costs... This is a party!

 

[AndieMac]

Good luck with the event Tom, the Sydney Sea Ray dealer has been running a very successful annual event for several years now.
They have the boats rafted into a massive circle for maximum sociability.
Its a real hoot and very popular.

 

[Nautibusiness]

Good luck with the event Tom, the Sydney Sea Ray dealer has been running a very successful annual event for several years now.
They have the boats rafted into a massive circle for maximum sociability.
Its a real hoot and very popular.

Thanks for that.
This is our first year and as a result, whilst we are being a little Sea Ray biased we are allowing everyone to join the fun.

We are probably going to be a little understated compared to some of the events around the world, but let us learn how to throw a party on the water and by the beach this year and then expect next years to be much bigger and far more spectacular... we hope!

 

[AndieMac]

Once you get a group of like minded people together doing what they love to do, it doesn't take much to get a party started.

You never know Tom, if the event is well supported by the local boaters, YBW may even get behind you for next year.

 

[Nautibusiness]

Once you get a group of like minded people together doing what they love to do, it doesn't take much to get a party started.

You never know Tom, if the event is well supported by the local boaters, YBW may even get behind you for next year.

This year is going to be a bit of a learning curve to see what we can and can't get away with and still have fun.

Need a bit more buy in from the harbour commissioners and the National Trust, but maybe when they see we aren't ogres they'll play along a bit more next year.

Was hoping to get the local RNLI and Coastguard involved, but I think they "are busy" this year.

If we have a laugh, get a reasonable turn out and nobody drowns(!) then I would hope we'll have a successful event year on year!

Just PM your email address for a registration form.

More the merrier

Tom

 

[panda9958]

Hi Tom,

Are you a Sea Ray dealer now? Have you taken over from Marina Marbella? I'm a Sea Ray owner and I'd love to come, the only problem is my boat is in Brighton and I'm not sure I could get that far!

Dave

 

[Nautibusiness]

Hi Tom,

Are you a Sea Ray dealer now? Have you taken over from Marina Marbella? I'm a Sea Ray owner and I'd love to come, the only problem is my boat is in Brighton and I'm not sure I could get that far!

Dave

Hi Dave

Yes we are Sea Ray dealers, but we work very closely with Marina Marbella.
I say very closely... They have moved from Hamble Point and are now sat in an office we have built for them actually in my office. All very cosey.
The lovely Anne Marie is here and they are currently recruiting a new UK manager after Chris chose to move on.

It's a little complicated, but we have taken on the immediate area (Lymington to Lyme Bay) and Marina Marbella and their existing dealers will continue as normal, just headed up from here with most of the UK stock here.

Aquapalooza!
We'd love you to attend.
What boat do you have?
If you can get here, there are free moorings for the Friday and Saturday night for any of "our" Sea Ray customers. That said, all boaters are welcome, regardless of brand.

PM me your email address and I'll send you a registration form.

Tom

 

[andy59]

Looks as though this lot have got in first
http://www.herm.com/webcams/?webcam=1

 

[panda9958]

Tom, I've got a Sea Ray 220 Sunsport, which as you probably know, is only little. I feel Brighton to Poole is too much of a ‘voyage’ for me as most of my boating is local.

I keep thinking I should get something larger but can't decide between a sports cruiser such as the Sea Ray 275 or 315, or something with a roof like the Merry Fisher 805 or 925.

Anyway, good luck with the event. Next time I'm down that way I'll pop in and say hello.

Dave

 

[Nautibusiness]

Tom, I've got a Sea Ray 220 Sunsport, which as you probably know, is only little. I feel Brighton to Poole is too much of a ‘voyage’ for me as most of my boating is local.

I keep thinking I should get something larger but can't decide between a sports cruiser such as the Sea Ray 275 or 315, or something with a roof like the Merry Fisher 805 or 925.

Anyway, good luck with the event. Next time I'm down that way I'll pop in and say hello.

Dave

Hi Dave

Contact Anne Marie (amr@marinamarbella.net) as she may be able to get you on to one of the guest or staff boats. No promises, but I know she'll make every effort.

With regards the new boat choice I am happy to help with either!
I love my Merry Fishers (own a 695), but they are a world apart from the Sea Ray range. A different way to boat altogether. Neither is better, just very VERY different.
Happy to help you through the deciding process as there is much to consider.

Hope you get to come down next weekend.

Tom

 

[Nautibusiness]

Bump

 

[panda9958]

Tom, Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately I'm not going to be able to make it. Maybe next year I'll have a bigger boat!

Dave

 

[Nautibusiness]

Already planning for next year!
If your boat is too small to sleep on then bring a tent. More to be revealed a little closer to the time.

OK, anymore for the Aquapalooza 2010. Numbers are growing nicely.
Open to non Sea Ray owners too.

PM for a registration form.

Tom

 

[jhr]

Bother. My boat is ashore being repaired (lengthy saga); given the right conditions, I'd have loved a run from the Solent down to Poole but it ain't gonna happen this year. And it's a Sea Ray.....

Maybe next time.....

 

[Kipper]

Hi Tom

Looks like York Marina are doing one too, anyhting to do with you?.

Gary

 

[Nautibusiness]

Hi Tom

Looks like York Marina are doing one too, anyhting to do with you?.

Gary

It's in conjunction with Marina Marbella so sort of to do with me, but not directly. I have no idea of their plans.

 

[Nautibusiness]

Well what a brilliant day!

Pictures will have to wait as for some reason I haven't fathomed out how to get them to load on here.

I was sneaking around the harbour at 7am, putting a couple of clues up on wooden piles in various locations and not wanting to get told off by either the harbour master or the national trust.
Got back to quite a lot of disorganised chaos as food was loaded to one boat, picnic tables, ice, windbreaks and general beach tat loaded to another. They headed off to Studland, towing like ducks in a line, a few of the Parkstone Bay pool tenders.
Customers arrived to pastries, coffee and juice at the South Deep Cafe where I tried to brief them on the day ahead.

Treasure Hunt starts and I head off around the harbour with a dozen boats with crews trying to work out my poetic clues (they were dead easy really). We must have got some strange looks as we meandered around Poole Quay, the lifting Bridge, Pottery Pier, the fuel barge, Brownsea Castle, the Chain Ferry and onwards.
As we left the marina, I got a sinking feeling as about the only thing I'd forgotten was fuel for the boat I was leading the hunt on! What a dope! With a few jokey replies over the VHF I headed back to the marina to get fuel after leaving the treasure hunt knowing "roughly" what they were doing. Lucky I did head back as one of the staff boats that was carrying all the booze had failed to start and so I picked up the booze, several more members of staff and some lovely people from National Boatshows befoer heading on a whirlwind completion on the Treasure Hunt for my daughter and Jack (son of Mark from Marina Marbella) and then to Studland.

On the trip out we could here some confusion as to exactly where the boats should moor up, our handhelds couldn't be heard at the other end so we wondered how spread out everyone would be, but as we arrived we could see the boats wonderfully rafted together and looking superb. Our yard guy, Joel was doing a great job with the tenders and was ferrying guests and supplies to and from the beach and the beach party began.
Everyone was having a wonderful day. Lot's of playing in an unusually warm sea, silliness with water balloons and water soakers, a great picnic and a simply brilliant version of the Grand Prix done with the Parkstone Bay tenders around the rafted boats.
As you can imagine, there was no competitiveness and no cheating at all. Nobody got capsized by saboteurs and it was a thorougly gentlemanly (and ladylike) race.
As the tide began to rise the first of us drifted off and we got back to Parkstone Bay Marina for just after five.
Almost everyone joined the cruise aboard the Dorset Queen which gave a chance to rest, recuperate ...and drink far too much complimentary Pimms whilst enjoying a trip around Brownsea. Back to the marina again, for BBQ and a few more drinks along with the Treasure Hunt grand prizegiving.
I finally managed to roll the last almost comotose passenger from the water taxi and into the cockpit of their boat at about 23.30. Our waiting pontoon has never been so busy!
That was my job done, but Claire and Anne Marie returned early the following morning to deliver complimentary breakfast and papers out to the overnighters on the pontoon.

Complete chaos, but I think a wonderful success.

I truly hope that the 90 odd (by 90 odd, I mean 90 or so and not odd as in strange!) people that came and joined in had a great day.

Tom

 

[Vanilla]

Sounds wonderful...can I come next year? Well done for going all-out to make it such fun for all. Hope you also got a chance to relax and enjoy proceedings