BETTER BOATING LOUNGE

Tips on Better Boating will occur daily from the Better Boating Lounge. Brush up on some known boating techniques or learn something new.

Presentations and activities will run all day, every day.

Inspiration and information on the Better Boating Lounge  

Each year the Sydney International Boat Show Better Boating Workshop stage hosts larger than life personalities, passionate about marine sports and the boating lifestyle. These presentations are enthusiastically received by equally keen audiences, who gather at the venue for shows between 10.30 am and 7.30 pm.
 
This year, crowds can expect a diverse repertoire.

10 AM
There will be adrenaline- pumping vision from the Australian F1 Superboat circuit.

10.30AM
Onstage action kicks off with Shane Earl from Ski Racing Australia presenting Water Ski excitement with World Champions in action.
 
11 AM
Audiences will hear from first-hand proponents about ‘Offshore Power Boat Racing’, presented by Australian Power boating Champions Tom Barry-Cotter and Ross Willaton. They show a heart-stopping medley of video footage of races and all the spills at international events, where boats compete at speeds up to 270 km per hour.
 
11:30 AM
100 years ago Ole Evinrude rowed across his heavy wooden dinghy across a windy lake and decided he needed to strap an engine on the back. Flash forward to 11:30am each day of the boat show, where the BRP team fill us in on the fascinating history of the outboard engine and what’s in store in the future for marine engines.
 
12 NOON
You will discover why ‘You don’t have to be a hero to go Powerboat Cruising’. Stephen Milne from Riviera explains that modern cruising boats make offshore cruising safer and easier. He recounts the adventures and activities of wandering cruiser owners who have set their sights on and completed long distance trips.
 
12.30 PM & 2.30 PM & 6.30 PM
The gals and guy from Team Musto will be modeling the latest marine technical gear and casual wear. It’s amazing just how technical clothing fascinates the crowd when the girls from Musto are modeling it!

1 PM
Phil Pitt from Pacific Boating will explain how you can get out on the water with family and friends even before you’ve saved for that luxury cruiser with boat sharing.
 
1.30 PM
Marine safety will be the theme as the team from NSW Maritime, along with Coastal Patrol & Coastguard explain how their safety net and some important tips can keep you out of trouble in NSW waters.

2 PM & 5.30 PM (every day except Friday where the duo will appear at 7.30PM only)
Two young Australian adventurers that headlined around the world will be on stage. Last year Justin Jones, 24 and James Castrission, 25, spent 62 days at sea, enduring 10m seas, howling gale-force winds and food and sleep deprivation to achieve their aim of ‘crossing the ditch’.
 
Their dramatic journey, from Forster on the mid-NSW north coast to New Plymouth, New Zealand, is not only the first kayak expedition to cross the Tasman Sea, but has gone into the history books as the longest trans-oceanic kayak journey ever undertaken by two adventurers. Audiences will be riveted to hear first-hand accounts of their travels.

At 2 PM & 5.30 PM on Friday, Terry Wise from Pacific Sailing School will talk about the Crossing the Ditch experience from his viewpoint. Terry and team provided support to James and Justin in the preparation and execution of their gruelling journey.

3PM (Thursday until Sunday only)
The 2008 Tasmanian of the Year, Ken Gourlay, who set a new record when he sailed solo non-stop round the World in 2007, will tell of his epic journey.
 
3.30 PM
The very popular Gary Schipper from Stormy Seas will present his Marine Safety presentation. Charismatic and concise, Gary always draws a crowd at the Sydney Boat Show. Stop by and you will see why.
 
4 PM
Sail-World’s Cruising Editor Nancy Knudsen, who devoted four years to cruising around the world, will talk about the sights, sounds and savouring the experiences from that wonderful journey, comparing cultures as she explored the world’s waterways.
 
4.30 PM
The sailing action speeds up with just a week ahead of the Olympic sailing regatta in China, where Australia’s team is eager for a good medal haul. British Olympian, Laura Baldwin will be joined on stage by Australian and World champion sailors who will preview the Olympic action.
 
5 PM
Australian sailor Tony Mowbray will transport you to another world. If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Antarctica or the Southern Ocean in a yacht, this is the presentation for you. There’s some beautiful video footage of Antarctica complete with the eerie sound of shards of ice fragmenting around his boat.

6 PM 
If you’ve been thinking about taking a boating holiday, but haven’t had time to plan one, come along to listen to Trevor Joyce from Mariner Boating who will be presenting ‘Boating Holidays for sailors and power boaters’.
 
7 PM
Each night the finale belongs to Jeff Jauncey, the principal of the NSW Boating College who will inform and entertain with details of boating licence exams, training and safety courses that will equip people at all levels to become better, safer boaters.

7.30 PM
Then, wrapping up the action for the day, and leaving us all in the boating frame of mind as the show closes, watch the wonderful marine vision from Boat Books Australia.