2008 Flibs - Live Coverage

Richmond Lady cruises around 16 knots, and you can take in the sights or seabreeze from the upper deck. Sit by the bar, in the jacuzzi, or on the cushioned settees, it's all inviting. Note the twists in the bar stool posts.

As I exited the yacht, I noticed the twist and turn as well is the differently shaped steps in the ladder. Interesting! A stylish, yet fun yacht, attractive to private owners or the charter circuit. Richmond Yachts has another winner.

The clear morning brought out the blazing sunshine. Here are the Shadow Marine girls making their own shadow.

The Burger "Sis W" is available. The Walgreen family has enjoyed this yacht and now you can too.

The name on this Broward may be more indicative as a sign of the times (it can be purchased with cold cash).

Makara is a one-of-a-kind, 2002, 70-foot Knight & Carver yacht. Easy to access all areas and easy to enjoy, Makara can be run by a couple, or add a captain as there are crew quarters aft. By the way, the owner doesn't like yellow and didn't want white engines, so these 1,400 hp Cats are painted battleship gray.

As Election Day is this Tuesday, a subtle reminder floated by as this sailboat was displaying one of the candidates. Hmmm, wonder if McCain/Palin were on the other side?

Everthing seemed crammed in around Ft Lauderdale.

Miss Rose, a 2008 130-foot Horizon Trideck, was showing off all her assets.

This interesting vessel is a MAS 28. A baot looking more like a spaceship, it can seat around five persons and has a forward cabin.

The Trinity Yachts Watercolours stood tall as the rain clouds started descending over the show.

Defenders of the universe? No, just defenders from other yachts as these fenders were pressed into action to keep from marring the yacht's finish.

While on the water taxi we ran across Utopia, an older Feadship, cruising the ICW. Stately in appearence with her commanding bow flare, it's great to see the classics plying the waters.

In the Builders Tent, we found Heesen displaying a few models in their new booth.

Heesen's model of Yalla looks to be near perfection.

As the sun went down a little earlier thanks to daylight saving time ending, we caught some yachts under the lights as we raced for the last water taxi out. Yachts take on a different glow and show their true colors, like the Richmond Yachts Richmond Lady.

Norwegian Queen was awash in floodlights as the show was winding down.

Destination Fox Harb'r Too appeared to be glowing thanks to the red backlighting of her name.
This brought our Sunday visit to an end. FLIBS will be going on for one more day on Monday, and breakdown begins later Monday, with float out of the yachts on Tuesday. We'll be capturing the parade of yachts heading down the ICW on Tuesday, so look for those photos later this week.

Monday Night; November 3rd - Closing Comments​

Well, the 2008 Ft Lauderdale International Boat Show is now history. The booths are being broken down, yachts are packing the crystal and china while preparing for an exit, and vendors are taking home what items didn't sell. We hear that a number of boats and yachts sold, but we'll have to wait for the official numbers are out (and the checks are signed).

YachtForums was on site today, with Carl and Chuck reviewing several yachts for reviews on this very site, and snapping a few photos for you. Before we get those shots on line, let me share a few extra photos taken the past several days to help roundout our visit to FLIBS.

We trust you enjoyed the coverage, but it's not over yet. We'll be covering the "boat parade" when the yachts leave Bahia Mar and area marinas and head up and down the ICW. Plus, Boat Show Babes should be ready to go probably over the weekend. So even though FLIBS is over, it will live on at YachtForums. Come back often.

By Capt. Tom Serio

Unless you come to the show, you can't really appreciate the size, unless of course you have to walk it for four days. Here's just a small part of it.