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MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — Strictly Sail Pacific and the Northern California Marine Association’s (NCMA) Pacific Power Boat Expo have merged to form the Strictly Sail Pacific & Power Boat Expo, according to a report yesterday from sailing industry trade association Sail America. The new show will take place April 15-19 at Jack London Square in Oakland, Calif.
The expo will host more than 300 exhibitors and feature both sail and power boats, hundreds of on-land exhibits and a variety of educational seminars, Sail America reported. Other attractions will include demo sails for kids and a Green Boating Zone highlighting eco-friendly boating products and practices.
Merger talks came about after the completion of the newly remodeled Jack London Square, according to Jonathan Banks, Sail America’s executive director.
“For the first time, Jack London Square has the space and facilities to accommodate a combined show,” he said. “The original plan was to wait until 2010 but there was such a strong case to combine the shows, we pulled out all the stops to make it happen this year. The decision to combine the shows has the unanimous support of the Sail America Board of Directors and NCMA’s Board of Directors.”
The venue will have one marina basin dedicated to sailboats and another dedicated to powerboats, with a connecting dock. On-land exhibitors will be located throughout Jack London Square with a large tented area at the recently remodeled east end of the Square.
“The merger is great news for the Northern California boating industry, and we anticipate a positive response from both our exhibitors and our boat show customers,” Jorgen Bateman, NCMA’s director of sales, said. “There is a large crossover market in the region and combining the shows will draw a much larger crowd who now can enjoy the very best in both power and sail in one location.”
Passes, which range in price from $12 for a single weekday to $50 for a five-day pass, are available at StrictlySailPacific.com, and show organizers said there are still a few spaces left for exhibitors.
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