The Tampa Outdoors Expo & Boat Show will be held March 2-4 at the state fairgrounds. This will mark the show's 21st year. The event has 140,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space plus outdoor display areas and several lakes. There will be lots of boat dealers along with a huge selection of personal watercraft in addition to ATVs, motorcycles and scooters. For the first time, the show will feature a section devoted exclusively to boating concerns. Experts in their fields will be available to answers questions. You can learn about everything from building a boat to financing a boat to servicing a boat.

The Florida Yacht Brokers Association and Fort Lauderdale Mariners Club will sponsor Shake-A-Leg Miami at the Miami Yacht & Brokerage. The theme will be “Mojitos, Mambo and the Macarena!” There will be live music, drinks and appetizers. The fundraiser will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Show Management tent on Cocktail Barge No. 1 in the 4700 block of Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. Tickets ($30) may be purchased online. Sponsors are also needed - if you are interested in being a sponsor you are urged to contact Florida Yacht Brokers Association. Proceeds from the event will benefit Shake-A-Leg Miami, a charitable organization that helps people of all ages with disabilities enjoy and learn the sport of sailing. Shade-A-Leg Miami has helped many children and adults overcome their physical, developmental, and economic challenges and this event is well worth your support.

The 2012 Leukemia Cup Regatta schedule has just been released. There will be 48 events this year. Register and start fundraising now for a Leukemia Cup in your area or in one of your favorite sailing locations. Get a jump start on the season which will conclude at Fantasy Sail Dec. 7-9, 2012 in New Orleans when winners will be recognized. Support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's efforts to discover new therapies and cures for blood cancers with this exciting event for sailors. Learn more at the following link: http://www.leukemiacup.org.

Whiteaker Yacht Sales invites you to visit us during the Regatta Pointe Marina Spring Boat Show Friday, April 8th through Sunday, April 10th, 2011 at Regatta Pointe Marina, 1005 Riverside Drive, Palmetto, FL. Our office, also located at Regatta Pointe and situated on the beautiful Manatee River, will be open throughout the show so stop by and say hello. The show begins at 10AM and ends at 6PM and is FREE to everyone. Other marine industry companies will be present including Marine Finance and Marine Insurance Specialists.
This is a rare opportunity to see many sailboats in a relaxed atmosphere. There are two well known restaurants on the property so bring the whole family and enjoy a day of boat shopping at a leisurely pace in a picturesque atmosphere.

The story of "DJ’s Casa"

 

By Danny and Johanne Quinn

 

We left Montreal, Quebec, Canada June 24^th, 2010 bound for Seattle, WA to check out an IP 380 … and also to visit the country … with a Palomino, Gazelle 17 foot travel trailer towed  behind a  Dodge Nitro.

 

The deal did not happen in Seattle. We spotted another IP 380 in Bradenton, Florida on the net. We contacted Ed Whiteaker of Whiteaker Yacht Sales, crossed the US again cross wind like my wife and first mate of 31 years, Johanne, likes to say bound this time for Bradenton, Florida. Met with Ed. Visited an IP 380 in an ordinary state. No possibility of negotiations. Jo and I got really tired and depressed with the situation of not being able to find a cruising yacht on which to realize our long, long awaited dream.

 

In mid august 2000, we had purchased an Irwin 37 MK4 CC Ketch in Annapolis, MD. We took ownership September 1^st, and moved on board September 19^th. We left for the DR by way of the Bahamas and Turks … the usual route. We sold DJ’s Casa in Montreal a year later and went back to work to finish our careers. For 9 years we planned and planned  and shopped and traveled and read  and shopped again for our new, used, cruising boat.

 

Finally October 2010 we closed a deal on alias Bonanza, an IP 40 in Bradenton, Florida. She is being prepared for our long term cruising and living aboard. She will be known as DJ’s Casa.

 

We traveled approximately 10,400 m through the US, crossed 15 states, visited a bunch of National and State Parks but always with the traveler, wanderer, bohemian or gypsy kind of life in us. We sold our house in October 2009 and retired 2 weeks later … November 1^st ! Left soon after for our search.

 

Family and friends look at us with a weird eye! We are not normal. They wonder how on earth are we going to pull this off. They seem to think that we are the first to do this … go cruising.

 

Debbie and Ed Whiteaker were a blessing in our search. Ed did not push us towards Bonanza as we told him we were looking for a 380. When options ran out for the 380s that were available at the time he introduced us to Bonanza an IP 40. We simmered it for a bit and then started the process of purchasing her.

 

We have dealt with other brokers in the past. Not all were fun to deal with. The Whiteakers are just human and understand what we, as a purchasers are going through. There is no pressure, no BS, no trying to sell you something that is not for you and especially no degrading of  the other fine yachts on the market. We personally do not like when a broker pushes his product down our throats.

 

I think we have become and will remain friends for a long time after we leave. Debbie and Ed always want to know how we are doing.

 

In life, sometimes we have good and bad experiences in the purchase of different things. We are often quick at blasting the guy that did bad in a transaction. When people do good … it should also be shouted out loud.

 

If you need a pre-owned IP  … talk to Ed ! … he does good and does not bite!

Way to go Danny & Johanne. You're an inspiration to us all!

The always enjoyable Annapolis Boat Shows this year will be U.S. Sailboat Show - Oct. 7 - 11 followed by the Powerboat Show Oct. 14 - 17. For more information you can call 410-268-8828.
And one of the nation's biggest boat shows, The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will be held Oct. 28 - Nov. 1. For more information go to www.showmanagement.com.

Second Quarter 2010 Reports Show Boat Sales Continue Slow Improvement

When looking at the Sold Boats Report from Yacht World (the country's most shopped internet
site) sales continue a slow improvement. In looking at the past five years the best years
were definitely 2005-2007. Sales went down considerably in 2008 but started a slow rebound in
2009. The first quarter of 2010 reflected double digit growth but that has slowed in the
second quarter with the economy seeming to stall again.

Currently the average time it took to sell a boat according to the Sold Boats report on Yacht
World was 300 days. This probably reflects the fact that there are a lot of unsold new boats
still on the market. It is not uncommon to see boats 2 to 3 years old that are still listed
as new units. The best deals on the market continue to be "pre-owned" boats that are 10 years
or less old. One other interesting note while sailboats seem to take as long as power boats
to sell their valuation seems to be creeping back up while power boat values continue to show
downward movement.

Marinas and other boating related businesses in Florida's Panhandle area are reporting greatly depressed sales. This is very frustrating for many business owners in that area as the effect of the oil spill has thus far been minimal.
What is even more frustrating is the fact that it has depressed the boating industry in many other areas of Florida where there has been absolutely no sign of oil. Not a single tar ball related to the oil spill has washed ashore outside of the Panhandle area. The vast majority of Coastal Florida remains oil free. However many businesses throughout Florida have reported cancellations or changes in plans related to boating activities. This is really a shame and can only be blamed on the uncertainty and lack of clarity about the quality of the water brought on by an overactive news media.
On the bright side for many years the planet has some how found a way to withstand and even bounce back from much worst oil spills. For example in 1991 Iraqi forces purposely spilled over 500 million gallons of oil in order to slow the American invasion. The slick was four inches thick and covered 4000 square miles of ocean. Today with virtually no help from man the area is recovering with sand beaches being the area that have best recovered. Imagine how much quicker the area could have recovered if helped by man. Similar stories like an oil well explosion in Mexico in 1980 in which over 100 million gallons of oil was spilled and went on for a full year. In 1994 over 80 million gallons were spilled in Russia in a leak that lasted for eight months before it was finally noticed and repaired. In 1979 90 million gallons spilled after an oil tanker collision during a tropical storm in Trinidad and Tobago. The list goes on and on. Somehow Mother Earth has managed to find a way to deal with these disasters. Instead of pointing fingers of blame it is time for us to all band together and give Mother Earth a helping hand to clean up this latest spill.
In the meanwhile come on in…the water’s fine in Florida. Have you noticed on many of the maps predicting where the spill will go that the West Coast of Florida and Tampa Bay remain completely untouched? While no one knows for sure what will happen in the days to come we at Whiteaker Yacht Sales remain very hopeful that not just the area where we are located here in Tampa Bay will be preserved but the vast majority of Florida waters will retain their beauty. Beginning early this year we have noticed an increase in boat sales and they have somehow remained steady throughout the oil spill media frenzy. If your dream is to own a boat, you'll find some outstanding deals right now in Florida so don’t postpone that dream. The "Coast is Clear" - Jump In!
Debbie Whiteaker

Whiteaker Yacht Sales is very proud to welcome Jeanelle Phillips as our new Operations Manager. Jeanelle has many years of office management experience, most recently having managed a 225 slip marina in Bradenton, Florida. We are very happy to be able to add Jeanelle's years of experience to our already knowledgeable staff.

 

There's some good news to report for a change for both boat shoppers and people wishing to sell their boats in Florida. Legislation has just been signed into law that will cap Florida sales and use tax on boat sales at $18,000. The law will go in effect on July 1, 2010.

 

Governor Charlie Crist just signed the Jobs for Florida Bill (CS/SB-1752) which included the tax cap. Many people in the business have high hopes that this will make the state more competitive and bring it more in line with other states and countries. Florida's usual sales tax on a boat purchase is 6 percent plus a small surtax in some counties. This law will make the maximum sales tax $18,000.00. The use tax component could allow owners of foreign yachts to reflag in Florida if the owner pays the $18,000 fee provided they meet the other state and federal requirements.

 

Many in the industry including Whiteaker Yacht Sales and members of the Florida Yacht Brokers Association lobbied lawmakers heavily to support this bill in hopes that it will help the state save marine industry jobs, increase sales, and ultimately increase Florida's tax revenue making it a win – win situation.

 

Many have felt that Florida's high taxes have been one of the reasons for waning sales in the state with many buyers opting to purchase in neighboring coastal states with more attractive options.

 

Everyone in the marine industry in Florida can look at this new law as an opportunity to welcome prospective buyers with open arms and to encourage them to stay and enjoy Florida. Not only will boat dealers and brokerages benefit, it will also be good for the many Florida repair facilities, marinas, and other boat servicing and provisioning businesses. Buyers may opt to stay here to get work done on their boats or to keep their boats on a permanent basis as their home away from home.

Join us again this year at “Water and Wheels” at Cape Harbour Marina in Cape Coral, Florida – Friday Feb. 26 through Sunday Feb. 28. Whiteaker Yacht Sales will be on hand to tell you about all our many quality listings. See a wide display of rare and custom boats, classic and sports cars, and motorcycles. In addition you can enjoy all the other events including some fine food and entertainment. This extensive water and land display of boats and cars sets the stage for a family fun weekend…don’t miss it. And be sure to stop by and say hello to your friends from Whiteaker Yacht Sales.

January 6-10, Nashville Boat and Sport Show, Nashville Convention Center

January 7-10, Kansas City Boat and Sport Show, H. Roe Bartle Hall

January 9-17, Toronto International Boat Show, Direct Energy Centre Exhibition Place

January 9-17, Chicago Boat, RV and Outdoors Show, McCormick Place

January 13-17, Atlanta Boat Show, Georgia World Congress Center

January 20-24, Louisville Boat, RV and Sport Show, Kentucky Exposition Center

January 20-24, New York Boat Show, Jacob Javits Convention Center

January 20-24, Minneapolis Boat Show, Minneapolis Convention Center

January 21-24, Baltimore Boat Show, Baltimore Convention Center

January 28-31, Strictly Sail Chicago, Navy Pier

February 3-7, Atlantic City International Power Boat Show, Atlantic City Convention Center

February 10-14, St. Louis Boat and Sport Show, America’s Center & Edward Jones Dome

February 11-15, Strictly Sail Miami & Miami International Boat Show, Sea Isle Marina

February 26-28, Cape Coral Boat and Car Show, Cape Harbour Marina

February 20-28, New England Boat Show, Boston Convention Center