BULGING wallets are making this year's show a huge money spinner for the South's marine industry. Orders are so far are totalling £12 million and it's only the beginning.

The show itself is on course to be a multi-million pound success as organisers also report record breaking numbers of visitors.

Order books are filling up fast for local builders. Fears that a strong pound might hit sales do not seem to be materialising as boating enthusiasts queue up to buy new craft and equipment.

One visitor from oversea dug deep into his bank account and found £2 million to confirm an order for the show's most expensive boat, the spectacular Sunseeker Manhattan 84 super-luxury motor cruiser.

"Orders totalling in excess of £6 million have been placed with us since the start of the show," said a spokesman for Sunseeker, which is based in Poole.

At the show's huge floating marina another company which specialises in motor cruises, Fairline, is celebrating new orders for nine of craft including two sales of the Squadron 55 which cost around £600,000 each.

Gosport-based Opal Marine has scooped 24 orders for its American-built yachts which cost anything between £30,000 and £160,000 each.

There has been excellent news for the 50 strong workforce at Southampton boat builders, Rival Bowman from Ocean Quay at Belvidere Road.

Within 24 hours of the show starting, the company signed contracts worth more than £1 million for three vessels, two of their Bowman 48 ocean-going craft and a Starlight 38. Another deal is about to be finalised.

"This is the right time to buy a boat," said Rival Bowman Yacht's managing director, Charles Maunder, a regular exhibitor at the show for the past 30 years.

"I think people see they are not getting a good return on their investment money so they are thinking 'To hell with it' and buying a boat and enjoying themselves," said Mr Maunder.

It has certainly been a worthwhile journey from Denmark to Southampton for boat builder Eric Andreasen. He has returned to the Mayflower Park after an absence of many years. One couple down from London were so anxious to own one of Eric's yachts they bought the craft displayed on his exhibition stand.

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