Life’s a Carnival: 2019 PBIBS

The 2019 Palm Beach International Boat Show came to town in a flurry of wind and warm weather this past week. The show, which showcased more than $1.2 billion in products, proved popular once more and industry insiders and tourists thronged the docks over the four days.

With a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the show on Thursday at noon, it was a nonstop carousel of activities from interactive, free fishing clinics for kids, sportfishing seminars presented by the International Game Fish Association, and demonstrations at the Aquazone, which was relocated this year to provide more room for product testing and demos. If you were looking to get your animal fix, Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control were onsite for adoptions — or maybe just a cuddle.

Thursday evening saw a gathering of the U.S. Superyacht Association for its annual Paella Party on the Promenade to get the show started on the right foot. Friday night was the popular Rybovich Boatyard Bash, with a host of additional events for every taste. Thanks to M/Y Relentless for hosting us on board for a fabulous party, which included the musical talents of DJ Dash on the deck and plenty of tasty cocktails to go around. While on the docks, the crew were spit shined and polished as they conducted tours and hosted guests. Don’t miss our crew photos from the docks. 

Crew talent was also on display during Aqualuxe Outfitting’s annual Top Notch Tabletop contest, which attracted 16 participating yachts. The interior crew was able to put on a show for the judges, so check out the display of talent, see the winners, and vote for your favorite.

Saturday night was chock full of activities, including Worth Avenue Yachts’ crew party, which pulled out all the stops for this year’s carnival themed event. Among the many festive elements was cotton candy popcorn, a fortune teller, and a photo booth. All this was accompanied by the incredible music of Mister Trombone.

Prime Time Critters was easily one of the hits of the party, thanks to Lucy the Lemur and Teddy the Honey Bear (also known as a kinkajou). While Lucy only liked to be petted, Teddy preferred to climb on any willing partygoer. If attendees weren’t partaking in selfies with Lucy or Teddy, they had plenty of other fun activities to participate in, like playing ring toss or sitting down for Caricatures by Sarah, which never seemed to have any lull in activity. 

Towards the end of the party, people were able to enjoy the donut bar, following an impressive round of raffle prizes, including two round trip tickets to any Makers Air destinations, luxurious down pillows from Grace Linens, three lavish Molten Brown gift sets from Yacht Chandlers, and more.   

About 200 captains and crew from 20 to 25 different boats were present, says Hannah Rose, event coordinator/marketing assistant of Worth Avenue Yachts. “Worth Avenue Yachts believes in giving back to the yacht crew who work so hard to maintain the highest level of standards on their yachts and make the shows run smoothly,” she says. “We believe that the crew party is a great way for the crew to feel appreciated, while strengthening relationships with the people who truly keep the industry going. We got great feedback from all crew and sponsors in attendance that it was the best crew party to date!”