2009 Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show - Daily Coverage

... including a few from the YF crew. Pictured here (left to right) are YF's sr. writer Chuck Gnaegy, associate editor Dawn Hagan and YF's FLIBS photographer Tom Serio.

Not to toot our own horns, but I think we had the finest editorial team at the show. Kahlenberg agreed and gave us one big BWAAAAPP!

And now it's time to blow our horns for some of YF's favorite builders. Pictured here is Moonen Shipyard's managing director Emile Bilterijst, along with marketing director Heleen van Hout and a very special guest this year, Salim Erdem; otherwise known as YF's "Nilo". Pictured below is Robert Drontmann, heading up brokerage for Moonen.

Moonen brought the mini-me version of their 97' motoryacht, "Darcea" and "Sofia II". YF will have a full review of Moonen's largest build to date, the '124 trideck as soon as photography is complete.

As long as we're on the subject of models, let's get to some monsters! Oceanco brought an entire fleet from the future. The models were large enough to take slip space on the face dock. The first is the Igor Lobanov designed, 85-meter project Y708...

If the lines look familiar on this model, they should. This is the new 110-meter design by Nuvolari & Lenard, the dynamic duo behind previous Y700-coded yachts from Oceanco such as "Amevi" and "Alfa Nero".

One of Oceanco's newest designs is the plumb-bow, project PA076, a super-clean, smooth silhouette that is antenna and radome-free...

Unfortunately Oceanco's Michele Flandin was not feeling well and could not attend FLIBS this year, so managing director Eel Kant and Marcel were here to heft heavy models. Feel better soon Michele!

Only slightly larger than Oceanco's models, except this one is made to sink, this is the Triton personal submarine, one of the many toys in the chest of Trinity's "Mine Games"...

And the man behind the Triton project, none-other-than Brownie's 3rd Lung CEO Robert Carmichael, which gives this sub instant pedigree.

Speaking of pedigree, this is one of the sweetest (and sharpest) ladies in the business, Alice Huisman from Royal Huisman Shipyards. The Huisman family is celebrating 125 years in shipbuilding, producing works of art such as "Athena", one of the largest yacht reviews ever published and written by YF's publisher Carl Camper, shown in the link below and read by over 186,000 people to date...

Athena Review

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On the subject of families, YF's is growing too. Pictured here is Juan Carlos (J.C.) Espinosa on the right, a prominent yacht designer, along with Jeff Langs; one of many YF members in attendance.

My family was here too. Gawd... am I that old?

New additions to YF's family this year include Paul & Gary Nordlund, who are coming aboard in 2010.

Nordlund remains a very hands-on, custom boat builder producing some of the industry's most notable launches, such as Vic Edelbrock's "Victorious" shown here...

More of YF's extended family, this is Heidi Lindholm working the Lurssen booth...

Benetti had a booth inside the builders tent, as well as their display on the face dock...

Delta had displays inside & out as well. Pictured here is Delta's Michelle Jones with her sister on the left. Michelle is involved in many aspects of her family's operation, in addition to setting up and working major boat shows. It's a lot of work, but she always wears a smile...

For the first time in 5 years, Delta brought a boat to FLIBS; the recently launched "Katya". Because all the big boats were moored med-style, it was easier to show the model...

Horizon's U.S. director Roger Sowerbutts, who works all the east coast boat shows tirelessly, was once again busy showing a boat, so we had Elise Moffitt and Jillian Doer pose with the Horizon poster...