Sail, Power & Watersports Show is opening its doors November, 26 2008 at the Earl’s Court, London.

Following the success of Sail, Power & Watersports Show in 2007, it is back to Earl’s Court on 26-30 November 2008. This is the opportunity to see hundreds of RIBs, motorboats, dinghies and small yachts on display on this pre-Christmas marine event.

Organizers strongly believe the location, timing and content are the key factors that contribute to the success of Sail, Power & Watersports Show 2008 as ticket sales for this year event has rocketed compared to the last year.

Features and display

To give you a taste of the event, from the 10th November there will be a stunning display of Linnetti sports boats from Gibbs Marine in front of the Earl’s Court.
As a family friendly event, it will offer fun and entertainment for all ages.
‘Child Safe Zones’, a national initiative, will keep children and families safe.

Tickets and opening time

There will be two late night shopping opportunities on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th November when the show is opened until 9pm.
Friday 28th November - Saturday 29th the show is opened untill 7pm and it closes at the last day of the show, November 30th at 6pm.
Book advance tickets at a price of £10.50, under 16 ‘s are free.

GBR Rowing and Sailing Success In Beijing’s Olympics

The Olympic Torch in Beijing has finally been extinguished, and Team GB have flown home carrying the extra weight of 47 Olympic medals, an historic best since the 1908 London Olympic Games.

And there hasn’t been a finer Olympic Games for British sailors and rowers following British sailing success in Beijing. Consequently, it can be said that Great Britain’s sailing and rowing teams have pretty much dominated their respective sports for the last three Olympic Games.

The Beijing Olympics has seen Great Britain’s sailing & rowing teams go from strength to strength. Here’s a list of all medals won by British sailors and rowers:

Rowing

Sailing

Team GB Sailing & Rowing Information

For further information about Great Britain’s sailing success in Beijing, and to read more about another successful Olympic Games for British rowing, follow these links:

Royal Yachting Association

Amateur Rowing Association

BBC Sport Olympic News

Official Start for 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing

The official start of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing is being counted down in hours. Yesterday, the Olympic torch arrived at China’s capital and is now ready for the spectacular opening ceremony tomorrow.

Whilst it is usual for Olympic Games’ opening ceremonies to be kept secret in order to stun spectators and the watching world, China has an immense and diverse cultural back-catalogue to draw upon. The event, often a spectacle of epic proportions, promises to be rich with cultural and historical references, as well, no doubt, with the odd nod to China’s place as a developing superpower in today’s world thrown in for good measure.

Great Britain Olympic Team

The GB Olympic Team has been preparing for the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing for the last 4 years and has only 16 days to prove itself by competing with the strongest contestants in the world.

Olympics for Boat Enthusiasts

The Sailing, Rowing and Canoeing competitions will provide the highlights for boat and water-sports enthusiasts, and should provide some of the most exciting entertainment throughout the whole Olympic event.

BBC Sport - The Olympic Broadcaster and the Monkey

The Monkey- the BBC’s summer Olympic Games in Beijing podcast- will keep you updated with the latest stories of your chosen sports and remind you when the events you really don’t want to miss start.

The Marine Experience at ExCel in London

The Marine experience at ExCel is now up and running alongside the British International Motor show in London

Although the number of boats on display is not too impressive, and the originally promised showing of the famous eco trimaran Earthrace is not being displayed (for reasons unknown), there are still plenty of things to see and do.

From Yachts to Power Boats

Visitors of the Marine Experience at ExCel have the opportunity to step on board a range of boats from luxury motor yachts, such as the sleek and spacious Perl 60, to fishing boats, racing dinghies (Laser Performance) and power racing boats.

Try a Boat

To ensure your place at the popular Try a Boat attraction at the Marine Experience at ExCel, arrive and book your place early. You’ll get the chance to try a dinghy, racing or fishing boat - and best of all, its free.

Watch the spectacular ThunderCat National Championship racing on Saturday and Sunday on the Royal Victoria Dock with a glass of wine or pint or lager - the weather is promising to be beautiful as well.

Cover My Boat News

Cover My Boat, are boat insurance experts, keeping you up to date with the latest boating events and exhibitions such as the Marine Experience at ExCel.

British Olympic Sailing Team Prepares for Beijing 2008

The Summer Olympic Games 2008 start in Beijing, China on August the 8th and last until August 24th. This year the British Olympic Sailing Team 2008 will compete in 11 different classes.

Seaweed Problem

The conditions for sailing in China will be challenging. Light winds and high tides will test the technical skills for all 18 sailors of the British Olympic Sailing Team 2008. Recent and widely reported problems with seaweed, that has made sailing waters thick and carpet-like, just adds to the challenge and the British Olympic Sailing Team 2008 is now working really hard to ensure an excellent performance.

Medal Winners Return

The Yngling team (pronounced ‘ING-ling’), comprising of the same three women (Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson) who won gold at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and is now aiming for its second gold in Beijing.

Single Handers

Single handed dinghy classes of the British Olympic Sailing Team 2008 include Ben Ainslie in the Finn class, Paul Goodison in the Laser class and Penny Clark in the Laser Radial class.

The 49ers

Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes are competing in the double handled 49er dinghy class. The 49ers are exciting boats and racing success depends on close crew coordination to prevent capsizing. Keep up with the latest updates from the British Olympic Sailing Team 2008 49ers by visiting their blog.
Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, who are racing the men’s Star keel-boat class, are training really hard in China, in spite of the aforementioned sea weed problems.

Windsurfing

The British Olympic Sailing Team for the windsurfer RS:X class is Nick Dempsey in the men’s category and Bryony Shaw in the women’s.

470 Class

The highly successful men’s crew of Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield for the two person dinghy 470 class have been competing for 10 years together, winning silver in Athens, 2004 and are now one of the favourites for a gold medal in Beijing. The women’s crew in this class consists of Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark.

Tornado Class

Leigh McMillan and Will Howden’s Tornado crew is ranked sixth in the world. The Tornado is capable of reaching speeds of over 65 km/hour and is considered to be the ‘formula-one’ of the sailing world. The British Olympic Sailing Team’s Tornado crew has not only superb skills and competence to ensure its success, but it also has tremendous tactical thinking ability, which is crucial in handling this multi-hull fast vessel.

Boat News from Cover My Boat

Cover My Boat, the marine and boat insurance specialists, will be bringing regular updates of the British Olympic Sailing Team’s successes throughout this summer’s Beijing Olympic Games.

This month National Boat Shows (NBS) is yet again presenting the marine event - the Marine Experience 2008 - at the British International Motor show from 23 July - 3 August 2008 at ExCeL, London Docklands.

Events at the Marine Experience 2008

Among the many exhibitors at the Marine Experience 2008, will be all the major boat-market players like Laser and Honda Marine, but perhaps the most interesting feature on the display this year will be the famous Earthrace. The Earthrace is a unique trimaran that’s 100% carbon neutral, runs on 100% renewable energy and is an inspiration for “green” boat enthusiasts.

There will be a variety of boating and marine activities on offer every day at the Marine Experience 2008 including racing powerboats, the National Thundercats Championship and the On Board programme for children to encourage school kids to climb on board a dinghy and get boating.

Don’t miss the popular Try-A-Boat attraction at this year’s show that will feature power boats, sail boats and the latest RIBs. Make sure you arrive early at the Marine Experience 2008 to ensure your free place on the Try-A-Boat exhibition.

Book Tickets

Tickets for National Boat Shows’ Marine Experience 2008 range from £5 to £25 depending on the time and date of your visit. Buy a ticket online and you can win the Bug - Laser Performance sailing boat!

Cheap Marine and Boat Insurance

Boat News is brought to you by marine insurance experts Cover my Boat.
Get a cheap boat insurance quote now.

At a glance, boat insurance seems more complicated than, say, car insurance. There is dinghy insurance, yacht insurance, cruiser insurance, speedboat insurance which may also include towing toys or water skiing cover, to name just a few. In reality though, boat insurance works in the same manner as car insurance, where the insurer undertakes the risks of marine losses and the difference in boat types just relates to different information the insurer asks you to provide. There are two major types of boat insurance, Fully Comprehensive (covers your vessel as well as the third party) and Third Party only (TPO). Just like car insurance, boat insurance is designed to cover substantial losses and comes with an excess to discourage small claims.

Cover My Boat has developed a sophisticated and easy to use quote engine that provides you, our customer, with an instant boat insurance quote. Just choose your boat type and follow the five simple steps of the quote process. You can pay instantly for your quote online, which means you can be covered straight away. If we are unable to provide you with intant cover, you can save the quote and our friendly and reliable team will contact you within 24 hours.

Sailing at Cowes Week 2008

One of the longest standing sailing events in the UK is Cowes Week Sailing Regatta.It is also one of the worlds longest running sailing events. The sailing event is held In August every year and has been running since 1826, this offers both sailors and visitors alike an exciting racing schedule and a packed entertainment itinerary on shore throughout the week.Follow this link for Cowes Week sailing events www.cowes.co.uk

An estimated 1000 boats attend this sailing event in the UK, along with over 50,000 sailing fans and party revellers. It attracts a wide range of competitors from amateurs to Olympic and world champions. The fantastic onshore activities include live music, a display from “The Team Road Angel” Aerobatic display team and a spectacular fireworks display on the final Friday night.

Boat insurance is probably the oldest type of insurance cover. From the 17th century London as a trade centre has been accumulating ships from all over the world, creating demand for ship and cargo insurance. During the industrial revolution the river Thames became overloaded with cargo vessels. Though it boosted the boat insurance market even further, it was an environmental disaster for the British capital. Because of the amount of coal burnt, by the year 1954 the river Thames was sank in the ‘pea-souper’ Great Smog. About 4 000 people died that year in London with respiratory related problems.

One can get an idea of the scale of pollution from the series of paintings by Claude Monet. The painting Houses of Parliament was not created from an artist’s imagination, but was purely based on actual observation.

Houses of Parliament.Claude Monet.

To tackle the problem, a number of measures have been put in place to reduce pollutants cased by commercial cargo vessels and boats.
Today however, boating is considered to be one of the most green leisure activities. There are even more new green technologies available- like boat solar panels or biofuels to insure your boat has the least impact on the environment.

Sunken boats are becoming a familiar sight in Tewkesbury. Photo: Cara Hurren

With a climate change, rising water levels and increased flood risks, the standard of new buildings should be improved, the Association of British Insurers announced today.

Last summer’s floods cost the insurance industry more than £3bn. It’s not just the house insurance market that has been affected, but the boat and marine insurance market as well.

Though a small inflatable boat or canoe stored in a garage can assist in the case of a flood, boats and yachts can be affected to the “beyond repair” extent. In a flood situation, boats can be forced by the current, float uncontrollably and then hit bridges or buildings.

This narrow boat floated into the tunnel as the water level rose, until it filled up with water and sank. Photo: Patrick Campbell

If you are a boat owner, you will be responsible for recovering the vessel, which can be a difficult and expensive task when the water level finally drops. Even worse, you might be responsible for the damage your boat causes to someone else’s property. So, to avoid major financial loss, ensure you have fully comprehensive boat insurance or at least be covered by third party boat insurance.