BLUEMOMENT

I spent three days manning a stand at the Boatshow at Inverkip.

I found it interesting speculating on the level of real boating interest of people encountered based on their attire.

That show has a much wider audience than just boats and things marine. Half the stands (maybe more) are about such topics as hotels, food, and living in static caravans. So there's a mix of people there.

Checking out what people wear seemed to give a quite reasonable picture of those people's interests in boating.
I suspect that people even go to some effort to do their Gill jacket, or their Tilley Hat, or white soled deckshoes, just to go to the show.

The bearded older guys with a captains hat, the oldest oilskin jacket, corduroy trousers and deckshoes, and some an unlit pipe, were dead giveaways.
Some had put on their lifejacket and full wet weather gear. (maybe they ventured onto the pontoons?)
But the more sneaky among them had plain clothing but left a chink in their disguise by wearing Dubarry boots, or allowing the Gill label of their top to show.

Yesterday I was looking around trying to figure out the system of putting a reef in the marquee as the wind increased. I concluded that it must be a type of slab reefing without reefing lines. I winder if they got the sails off this morning OK?

It was an entertaining 3 days.

It was nice to put a face to the avatar. Hope it went well for you.

Donald

I was there on Saturday morning for a short visit. Arrived at 0930 to find the start time was 1000, so a wander round the pontoons looking at the second hand boats then visited the RYA section of the Chartroom. Free coffee, but no sign of the promised bacon rolls, and since the sign-in sheet hadn't arrived before I left at 1030 they probably don't even know I was there.

Damn, if I had realised my sartorial choices were to be the subject of a doctoral thesis I might have given them more thought. I am trying to remember what the stall tenders were wearing but apart from one guy flaunting a race trophy gilet (available at the race start, luckily), they were all in various shades of dark blue/black.

"The bearded older guys with a captains hat, the oldest oilskin jacket, corduroy trousers and deckshoes, and some an unlit pipe, were dead giveaways."

I saw him getting out the Volvo in the muddy field car park..

I wore deck shoes in the unlikely event I went onboard any of the boats there. ( plus they are comfy) ( shoes, not the boats)

The only boat I was tempted to go onto was the big Beneteau and only to ask WTF was the purpose of the big winches in line and inboard of the stupid twin wheels.

But since Id never buy an HMS Ikea, there would be no point...

No red trousers?

Did see a few tartan trews!

Were ye on the Haughs o'Cromdale then?

Sorry to hear about the lack of bacon sandwiches!