The 2010 Sydney International Boat Show (29 July – 2 August) has in recent years brought together an interesting line-up of guest speakers that have had show visitors absolutely enthralled. However, this year show organisers the Boating Industry Association of NSW (BIA) have outdone previous efforts.
Sydney International Boat Show 2010 - Marina
The Better Boating Lounge will prove to be a major attraction at a recreational boating exhibition that simply oozes attractions at every turn.
Jessica Watson, the young lady who thrilled us with her around the world exploits, adventurer Don McIntyre, who has recreated the voyage of the legendary Captain William Bligh, the amazing Norris family, who spent an astonishing five-years sailing around the world are among the guest speakers.
Now, that impressive line-up has been joined by young UK yachtsman Mike Perham, who gained an additional ‘15-minutes of fame’ in Australia when he boarded Jessica Watson’s Ella’s Pink Lady as she sailed down Sydney Harbour to her tumultuous welcome at the Sydney Opera House.
Sydney International Boat Show 2010 - Marina
Jessica and Mike had become close friends via radio, e-mail and Facebook as he supported ‘Ella’s Pink Lady’ throughout the voyage.
Mike Perham began his sailing career as a six-year-old (he was born in 1992) and just eight years later, aged 14, he become the youngest to sail across the forbidding Atlantic Ocean, solo and unassisted.
That achievement remains a ‘one off’ to this day.
Three years later, Mike again sailed into the record books when, after 158 gruelling days at sea he became the youngest person to sail around the world single-handed; when he set sail, he was 16-years-old.
He celebrated his 17th birthday in the southern Indian Ocean.
During the voyage, Mike survived treacherous sea conditions, including waves of 60-feet magnitude.
He covered more than 30,000 miles (48,279 kilometres), some 6000 miles (5485 kilometres) more than originally planned and he was forced to layover for technical repairs and assistance in Portugal, the Canary Islands, Cape Town, Tasmania and New Zealand.
His voyage, originally estimated to take four and a half months, was doubled and when he finally sailed into Portsmouth Harbour and crossed the finishing line his welcome home was similar to that experienced in Sydney Harbour by Jessica Watson.
When not sailing the world’s oceans, Mike lives with his parents in landlocked Hertfordshire and is currently studying for a Diploma in Sport at the Oaklands Athletics Academy in St.Albans.
As pointed out earlier, Mike is just one of a tremendous guest speaker list scheduled for the 2010 Sydney International Boat Show in Australia.
And don’t forget – the Better Boating Lounge is but one of a myriad of attractions set for this year’s boating industry showcase, the Sydney International Boat Show.
