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The 2007 Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail and the annual Yacht & Brokerage Show is the perfect winter trio for yachting enthusiasts.
photography by Forest Johnson
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02/01/2007
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The 2007 Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail
and the annual Yacht & Brokerage Show is the perfect winter trio for
yachting enthusiasts. Taking place February 15 to 19 in
various locations around the city, each venue offers something unique. On Indian
Creek along Collins Avenue, the megayacht set takes up residence at the Yacht
& Brokerage Show, which has been in establishment for close to 20 years.
Superyachts, express cruisers, sportfishing yachts and oceangoing trawlers and
expedition vessels ranging in size from 24 to 160 feet (and in price from
$250,000 to more than $20 million) reside at this location. The National Marine
Manufacturers Association (NMMA) holds its show at the Miami Beach Convention
Center, Sea Isle Marina & Yachting Center and Miamarina at Bayside (Strictly
Sail). More than 2,300 of the world’s leading marine manufacturers display the
latest production and semi-custom powerboats and sailboats, engines, accessories
and electronics on more than 2.5 million square feet of exhibition space.
 The Raleigh's pool. Photograph by Nikolas Koenig. (Click image to enlarge)
Complementing the array of yachts, personal watercraft and all
things nautical that are on display at this annual set of boat shows is a
culturally diverse city with a rich history. Those planning to visit the
convention center and the Yacht & Brokerage Show will find themselves
immersed in Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. Since its rebirth in the late
eighties, South Beach has become one of America’s trendiest locales, hosting
countless TV commercials and fashion photo shoots and attracting celebrities and
glitter-hungry northerners fleeing the winter grays.
One of South Beach’s greatest assets is Lincoln Road. Between
the 1920s and the early sixties, Miami was a winter playground of the world’s
elite, and the Fifth Avenue of the South was Lincoln Road. The commercial area
housed stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Harry Winston and Bonwit Teller all
along its length from Biscayne Bay to the Atlantic. Lincoln Road was also home
to the famous Carib Theater—a movie house with live parrots in the lobby and a
mechanical roof that retracted to allow patrons movie viewing under the stars.
In the late fifties, the larger hotels rising to the north on
Collins Avenue had a great effect on the road’s business, but as various
problems ensued through the seventies and eighties, the area lost the glam
factor it once had. Today, as with the rest of South Beach, the pedestrian
mall that is Lincoln Road is back and better than ever, with fine shopping,
dining and artisan galleries and workshops open to the public. A movie theater
has even returned. Some favorite stops for shopping and dining include Kiehl’s,
Anthropologie, Cafeteria and SushiSamba dromo.
Miami rivals and surpasses some of the world’s most
cosmopolitan cities in terms of hotel accommodations. As a frequent and easy
getaway for many (especially New Yorkers) seeking warmth, excitement and style,
the bar has been raised considerably to keep up with the discerning tastes of
the cultured visitors that descend upon the city each year.
To streamline the process and take advantage of preferred
rates, book your hotel through the boat show’s official hotel reservation
service Website (www.miamiboatshow.com) or call 888-998-2784 (United States) or
404-584-7458 (international). You may also call the hotel of your choice and
mention the Miami International Boat Show or National Marine Manufacturers
Association to check for discounted rates, which have been secured with many
area hotels. Be sure to book early because hotels can and do fill up quickly.
If you’re looking to turn your stay in Miami Beach into a true
holiday, check out the following hotels that have made the southern city the
international hot spot it is today.
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