November 2022

Last month Scott and I attended the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show for the very first time. This is a five day show held at the end of October and while I worked the show, Scott got a chance to tour it.

This show is so large that it’s the largest in-water boat show in the world and includes seven locations. We only visited the Bahia Mar exhibit where I was working. See photo above.

There’s no way I can possibly describe the show in a blog, as it’s just massive and you’ll see I say that over and over in our YouTube episode. The Bahia Mar exhibit included brand new boats and yachts from manufacturers and brokerage yachts and superyachts. Plus, it had huge displays of vendors everywhere you turned. The best part about the electronics tent is they kept it cold as a meat locker. This was a very pleasant treat as it was extremely hot during the show.

Super Yachts Everywhere

They had a super house boat – if that’s what you call it? I wish we would have toured this!

Unlike most shows we have attended, this is a manufacturer show, similar to an auto show. The manufacturers go all out to build massive VIP tents that are actually air conditioned (well, at least Sunseeker was where I was working!).

No matter if you are looking for a center console, a catamaran or a yacht, the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show is where you will find your boat. This has been one of the best things about moving to Fort Lauderdale, is the access to so much boating!

Tour the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show on our YouTube Channel

If you plan on attending the show, give yourself at least three days to cover the show and that’s probably just for Bahia Mar. Scott was there two full days and he barely touched the display. I had displays from one end of the show to the other and over five days I walked 42 miles! We want to thank Informa and the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show for welcoming us as Influencers to the show – it was quite the experience. Until next year!

As always, thank you for following our blog and please be sure to check out our YouTube channel (see video below). Please be sure to subscribe to our channel and follow us on our next adventure. Next week we’ll share more boat tours from the show and later this month we go on our very first cruise! Stay tuned.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

Scott and I had the rare opportunity to tour a Westship 103′ Sportfish a few weeks ago. Yes, you heard me right! This yacht is 103′ long and there are only two in the world including this one! We have never been on a sportfish before and this tour totally shocked us. This yacht is absolutely stunning and beautiful!

Exterior Tour

Since we have never been deep sea fishing or spent time on a sportfish, we won’t attempt to use the right lingo in the description or tour. This yacht is for sale by OneWater Yacht Group and there is a full detailed description on the listing here.

Right now, the yacht is docked at the owner’s house just north of Fort Lauderdale. Imagine owning a home on the water with space for a 103′ yacht? What I loved immediately are the steps to access the yacht.

On the stern, you have a large entertainment area plus two very large freezers. Where do they get ice to keep their fish cold you ask? This yacht comes with an ice-maker and an ice crusher!

On the lower deck, you will find all of the space for deep sea fishing, including a custom fishing chair in the center. There is also a live well on the lower level.

The walk arounds are nice and wide, which I love. However, most owners who own a yacht of this size have crew that handle their lines.

On the bow, they are storing a 17′ tender using a heavy duty crane.

Interior Space

You enter the interior, by pressing a button to open the slider doors. The doors open with air pressure and automatically close behind you.

Heading up to the captain’s bridge, you will find a huge helm station with gorgeous captain chairs. The leather of these chairs is as soft as baby skin!

The bridge is also a spot more entertaining. Imagine going fishing, then hanging out up in the bridge watching your favorite football team!

Head back down stairs and you find a beautiful salon and wet bar. This yacht is almost twenty years old, but it doesn’t show it. The soft goods are timeless and this yacht smells great!

If you prefer to dine inside, the dining room has space for six to eight guests. Remember, this is a fishing boat! What fishing boat has a dining room like this? Well, the Westship Sportfish obviously does.

The galley is located next to the dining room and this galley is larger than the one in our apartment!

Sleeping Quarters

Next we head down to the sleeping quarters. Here you will find four staterooms. Two are mirrored with twin beds and forward you will find a VIP stateroom with an island berth.

The master stateroom on this Westship Sportfish has more storage than our apartment too!

Engine Room

There are crew quarters and if you watch the video (see below), Scott will take you on a tour. You access the engine room through the crew quarters. This yacht is powered by twin MAN MTU 16V2000M91 diesel engines with 2000HP. Scott is over 6′ tall and he was able to stand in the engine room!

We hope you liked this tour. For more details, be sure to watch the full YouTube video tour.

As always, thank you for following our blog! Be sure to subscribe to our vlog on YouTube and follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney. Next week we head to FLIBS (Fort Lauderdale Int’l Boat show) for our first time ever, so tune in next week.