Day 1 of the 42nd Newport International Boat Show was a success. We spent the day meeting new friends and catching up with all of our old friends. There was a good turn out at the start of the day and it seemed to carry us through past show closing.

We caught up with all of our old neighbors from last year. John and Mike from Siren Marine were holding down the fort in NYC Tent C Booth 27. Their display looks great this year featuring video footage of customer reviews of their different systems that allow owners to protect their assets, track movements, and switch on/off accessories from up to 4 text enabled cell phones. For more information about what they do and who they are stop by their booth or check out their site at Siren Marine

Our friends Pat & Dick from Sea Legs were here today in NYC Tent C Booth 31. We continue to help this amazing charity by listing several of their boats for them. All proceeds from the sales go to support their boating education and scholarship program. Sea-Legs promises adventure and teaches kids key life skills. On-the-water and on-shore maritime activities provide real-life situations that help Sea-Legs Cadets learn the importance of teamwork, gain self-esteem, and grow more independent. For more information about their program you can visit their website at Sea-legs. Just a few of the boats we have listed for them are a Hallberg Rassy Mistress 32, C&C Encounter 26, Endeavour 32, Hunter 26.5 & a classic Wooden Launch. As always these boats can be seen on our website at Boatshed Newport

Also right next to us are Lynn & Carl with Harbor Lights Nautical Decorative Charts in NYC Tent C Booth 32. As always their charts are gorgeous and make a great gift idea or a gorgeous addition to a home or office. For more information about the charts visit them at Harbour Lights

We also made new friends today. We met up with John at Chart Metal Works of Portland, ME. They make unique nautical chart jewelry. They had premade pieces for sale in their booth or you can customize a piece that fits your personality. For more information check them out at Chart Metal Works

As always the Newport Exhibition Group have done a great job organizing the show. At their Welcome News Conference today they had several great speakers including Governor Lincoln Chafee. The exhibition group has chosen the Coast Guard Foundation as their charitable partner this year. We heard from Anne Brengle the foundation president about what they are doing this year. For more information about the foundation visit them in NYC Tent B1. The main speaker for today’s news conference was Carl Blackwell, CMO of National Marine Manufacturers Association and also president of Grow Boating, INC (Discover Boating). He had a lot of great things to say about the boating industry here in the state of Rhode Island and encourages us to continue spreading the good word about the boating lifestyle. Find them on Facebook under Discover Boating and see what they have going on this year.

All in all we had a great first day at the show and are really looking forward to tomorrow. Don’ forget to visit us online at Boatshed Newport to see all of the boats we are displaying at the show and more. If you are at the show swing by NYC Tent C Booth 33 and say hi to Rob and Ali! Don’t forget to join us for Fizz @ 5 every day at 5pm. It’s always 5 o’clock somewhere!