Daily Echo | Southampton PSP Boat Show

With around 1,000 boats and hundreds of exhibitors, NBS is expecting a fantastic Show experience in Mayflower Park.

To guarantee 10 action packed days, there is also a wide variety of features and attractions to keep Show visitors of all ages amused. Click here to buy tickets.

How to get to the Boat Show

The Marina

It is one of the world’s largest purpose built marinas with over 2km of pontoons, which display more than 350 boats over the course of the 10 days.

The Marina is home to one of the Show's most popular attractions Try A Boat, and the Platinum Ticket's luxury power boats. It also berths some of the world’s most prestigious exhibitors and brands, as well as a host of yachts, RIBs and day boats. In addition, the Marina holds many exciting feature boats which are all open for visitors to explore, including the Yachting Monthly Crash Test Boat, HMS Medusa and Leader.

For the benefit of visitors' comfort, some boats do need to be booked to be viewed. The Marina can be entered from Solent Park and Mayflower Park and is free to access.

Feature boats

The marina will also host an exciting selection of feature boats, which are always popular with visitors to the Show. The first to sign up is Show favourite, the University of Southampton's research vessel, Callista.

Science ship Callista will be on the marina for the duration of the Show and encourages curious minds to come aboard to see, feel and touch the fascinating 'other world’ of life beneath the ocean.

Once onboard Callista, visitors can take part in real experiments, see live specimens and play with the onboard gadgets.

Also on the marina will be Calypso from the Jeremy Rogers yard, a greener version of the iconic Contessa 32. Embracing hybrid engines, hydrogen fuel cell technology, solar panels and reclaimed and recycled fixtures and fittings, Calypso embodies a green vision, a classic yacht, a legendary boat builder and a hunger for sustainability, all supported by the only bespoke environmental boating programme of its kind from the British Marine Federation (BMF) and the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) – the Green Blue.

Get afloat with Rockley

Encouraging the Show’s younger visitors to get out on the Solent’s calm waters, Get Afloat with Rockley offers 8-16 year olds a free 90-minute sailing lesson with a qualified instructor. Parents are advised to sign up at the booking point situated at A001, as places will be limited and filled quickly.

Sea Kitchen Theatre

Cooking on your boat can be a challenge, plus if you are at sea for days at a time, keeping the menu fresh can pose some culinary problems. Then there's the question of 'if i catch a fish what can i do with it?'

The PSP Southampton Boat Show is the plaice (get it!) to pick up some hints and tips from Celebrity Chef Shaun Rankin and demonstration chefs.

He will be at the Show in the Sea Kitchen Theatre cooking up a storm offering visitors the opportunity to learn some of his secrets, and some lucky visitors will have the opportunity to sit on the "Chef's table" and sample the food. Some of these places will be selected at random from the audience, but look out for competitions to win your place!

Try-A-Boat

Visitors are advised to book early on in the day for the Show’s signature feature, Try-a-Boat, to experience the thrill and excitement of being out on the water – all for free!

In association with onthewater.co.uk, an online portal full of ideas and advice on getting out on the water more, information on boating events and holidays and help in finding local clubs and activities.

The booking office for Try-a-Boat is situated in the Arena, stand A001.

Try-A-Dive

In association with Andark, the ever popular Try-a-Dive is back. Held on the Andark stand just before the first bridge, Try-a-Dive is fully supervised by qualified professionals in a purpose built four-foot deep tank to ensure a safe and comfortable environment for that first experience of scuba diving.

Ladies Day

PSP Southampton Boat Show is celebrating Ladies Day on Thursday 22 September. This day has grown over the last three years and for 2011 promises to be an unforgettable experience...

If you're looking for a day of glamour, style and a thriving atmosphere, enjoy yourself on Ladies Day. And, with The Rose Road Association onboard as the Official Charity you will be doing good as well.

Make sure you have your outfit ready in time for this year's Show. It's a great excuse to get the girls together for a day to remember. Enjoy the fantastic atmosphere of this thriving event, whilst you enjoy a glass of champagne overlooking the Show. This certainly is the place to pull out all the stops to dress to impress to win the title of 'Best Dressed Lady' in association with The Daily Echo

With great prizes to be won in the competition and The Southern Daily Echo snapper roaming around the Show it's a day not to be missed

Oyster Festival

The Great British Oyster Festival 2011 celebrates the start of this year’s Native Oyster fishing season in style.

A daily oyster tasting event will be held in the Live Sea Theatre at the PSP Southampton Boat Show 2011. (Twice a day on weekends, once a day on weekdays)

Oyster fisheries from around Great Britain are showcasing their produce to create this unique new event. Oysterages from all around the UK will be represented including, amongst others, Colchester, West Mersea and Maldon from Essex, The Fal in Cornwall, Poole in Dorset, Loch Ryan from Scotland and Anglesey in Wales.

Professionals from the oyster world will demonstrate how to open an oyster, recommend the best oyster knives to use, describe where and how oysters are cultivated together with all the latest information about their sustainability and health benefits together with the challenges currently facing the industry.

It is the first event in the UK to enable the audience to taste a selection of oysters free of charge. (Maximum of 50 participants per event on a first come basis).

The Great British Oyster festival 2011 is supported by the Shellfish Association of Great Britain and all their participating fisheries.

Team Racing

On Saturday 17th, some of the best teams in the country will be doing battle right in the heart of the Show, commentated by Jim Saltonstall to make sure you can follow the action.

Make sure you don't miss out!

For those in the know, the format is 2 boat team racing, on a very short course. Entry costs just £15 and includes entry to the Show for all 4 team members!

Authors Live

Sometimes a good book is just the job especially a book written by your favourite boating author.

The PSP Southampton Boat Show is the place to come and meet your favourite authors as they read extracts from their books, entertain you with personal glimpses and astound with their daring do.

Authors Live is located in Solent Hall in Solent Park and is free to attend.

Planning your day at the show

Tickets to the Show can be booked in advance via the special ticket website – Book your tickets now

Tickets from just £13.00* - A fee £1.75 applies per transaction, not per ticket when booking in advance. For full terms and conditions see website www.southamptonboatshow.com

Tickets to the Show are excellent value for money and offer a great day out for the family as each ticket admits one adult and two children under the age of 15.