Ever wonder how they manage to get 1,000 boats in place for the world’s largest in-water show? Producers share what every attending captain should know.
A celebrity was bringing his boat to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. Jimmy Buffett’s 42 Rybovich Express Walkaround, called Last Mango (but dubbed the Margaritavich), had a desirable spot at the show’s hub: the first slip between C and D docks at Bahia Mar. But the weather wasn’t cooperating, and it was too rough to run the boat from Palm Beach on the outside. So the musician and his team took the Intracoastal, arriving hours late, while the show organizer held up 30 other boats that were meant to pile in after him — after all, it was Jimmy Buffett’s boat. The other captains were forced to wait in the heavy weather and, apparently, it was not pretty. Facing an angry mob, Buffett tied up his boat and took off as quickly as possible, only to return the next day to find Last Mango covered in toilet paper.
This story from 2002 was relayed by Andrew Doole, president of US Boat Shows for Informa Markets, which is responsible for getting almost a thousand boats in position for the world’s largest in-water show. As we spoke on October 1, they had already started the week prior installing the eight miles of floating docks that pen the boats in — for the show that would open on October 29.
“It takes us about a month from start to finish to splash every dock that we own,” he says.
Dean Fillichio, FLIBS’ director of sales, personally emails the hundreds of companies that exhibit boats, giving them a specific day and time to get their boats into position and a radio frequency to communicate with them. It can take up to 15 days from the time the first boat moves in until the last boat ties up.
“Some of those days are unofficial,” he says. “We have a longstanding relationship with the marina. If boats move out early, they give us a call, and we prep things ahead of time and move boats in early.” The official move-in period begins nine days prior to opening day. And as one might imagine, there is plenty that can upset the intricate schedule. From weather delays to transport ships arriving in port late, things don’t always go to plan. If a boat is maybe just an hour late, Fillichio says it’s possible to hold up the production schedule to wait for them; in other instances, they may switch the order of boats to have the tardy boat come in last. In the worst case, there are holes in the show that someone has paid for.
“We always try to hold on to a handful of slips so when people miss their move-in there’s a second option for them,” Fillichio says. One year, Azimut had six boats turn up late due to a transport ship’s delay. “We had boats scattered all over; it was a disaster for them,” Doole says. “The following year we moved their barge out onto the face dock, in case it ever happened again.”
In addition to arriving on time, captains should come with extra help on board and plenty of lines and fenders ready, advise Doole and Fillichio. To avoid confusion on the day, they also recommend knowing which company your boat is being exhibited by and becoming familiar with the marina’s general layout. “Some of these captains turn up and we go back and forth with them on the radio for 20 minutes, just trying to help them identify what side of the marina they’re going on and which dock they’re going into,” Fillichio says.
“And be patient, we’re trying to get [everyone] in as quickly as possible,” Doole says.
To assist the largest yachts, Steel Marine Towing has tugboats on hand. “It wouldn’t be possible to get all these big boats into these tight spaces without Jim Steel and his team,” Fillichio says. “A lot of the captains know him and they trust him. He kind of talks them through it and talks them off the ledge a little bit, like, ‘OK, you’ll be fine,’” Doole says.
After the show wraps up, departing is much faster and easier than arriving. “We have the majority of the boats out by the end of the day on Tuesday after the show (which ends on a Sunday),” Fillichio says.
It was 20 years ago this year that the boat show experienced its worst disaster: Hurricane Wilma’s 100mph winds blew through three days before opening day. Doole says the site looked like a bomb had gone off. Tents were shredded, several barges were destroyed and a floating dock was flipped upside down. With 98 percent of the county without electricity and the road leading to the site impassibly covered in sand, the show producer made the decision to postpone just one week. Against all odds, with a Herculean effort, they made it happen.
After all, the show must go on.