St. Petersburg Boat Show
Don't miss this 'sailors' favorite' show at a new venue

Posted Wednesday, October 12, 2005

 
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ST. PETERSBURG, FLA (Aug. 29, 2005) - Strictly Sail® St. Petersburg is moving to a beautiful new location at Spa Beach, located at the base of The St. Petersburg Pier at 800 Second Ave., N.E., for the four-day “Southern Sailabration of Sail” from Nov. 3-6, 2005, that is the Gulf Coast’s largest and only all-sailboat show.

Strictly Sail St. Petersburg is moving, across the basin, to its new Spa Beach location at The St. Petersburg Pier, also known as The Pier, because the Vinoy Marina suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Dennis and is likely to be under construction in November.

“Strictly Sail St. Petersburg’s new venue at the base of the St. Petersburg Pier on the downtown city waterfront, gives Strictly Sail St. Petersburg show-goers the chance to enjoy a fantastic sailing extravaganza in conjunction with The Pier’s great mix of upscale restaurants, shops and fun things to do,” said Kevin Murphy, Strictly Sail St. Petersburg show manager.” Plus the magnificent views and Gulf Coast sunsets from The Pier makes it a perfect place to go sailing.”

Strictly Sail St. Petersburg attracts the top names in the sailing industry— more than 170 exhibitors— who will display the best in boats, gear, accessories, apparel, equipment and the latest in navigational systems and devices. The show is expected to draw more than 10,000 sailing enthusiasts from the entire Gulf Coast and its neighboring states, who will have the chance to climb aboard the nearly one hundred new 2006 sailboats docked at the St. Petersburg Pier.

This year’s featured attraction at Strictly Sail St. Petersburg is the “Sailing for Miracles” fundraiser to benefit All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. Celebrity sailors will skipper fun regattas and host fundraising activities throughout Strictly Sail St. Petersburg. For more information and to purchase tickets, please check www.sailingformiracles.org

The Southeastern Sailing Association (SESA) members and Sail America are presenting the “Sailing for Miracles” fundraiser in partnership with the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

“Sailing for Miracles was conceived to have fun in the sun and raise awareness of the sport of sailing while giving something back to the community,” said Ron Frisosky of Catalina Yachts and President of SESA.

The public is invited to the “Masters Under Sail” cocktail party that kicks off the fundraiser on Friday, Nov. 4 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. The highlight of this event is the ‘Masters Under Sail’ regatta. The St. Pete Yacht Club will provide 10 Sonars, and sailing participants can buy tickets to sail with high-profile icons of sailing. At press time, sailing legends Ted Irwin, Gary Jobson, Ted Hood, Charlie Morgan, Bob Johnson and Frank Butler had committed to sail.

The “Wild Card Regatta” on Saturday, Nov. 5, features yachts and teams provided by yacht manufacturers. Participants obtain poker cards at five destinations and the best poker hand at the end of the race determines the winner. Finally, sailors who want to sail their own festively decorated yachts, regardless of size or type, can enter the “Mother Tubber Re-gretta” with prizes to the best (and worst!) participants.

The City of St. Petersburg has also agreed to collaborate with SESA on

Sailing for Miracles and will be another major contributor to the event. Frank Butler of Catalina Yachts has donated a 2006 22 Sport Sailboat and trailer, Island Packet Yachts has donated a new 2006 ‘Big Fish’ sailboat and Hunter Marine has donated a new ‘Xcite’ sailboat. Raffles, prize drawings and other awards will be presented. All proceeds will benefit All Children’s Hospital.

SESA encourages participation from sponsors who wish to volunteer or make donations. Those interested should contact Tom Casey, Event Chairman, at:

941-927-2675 or tomcat911@comcast.net. Donations can also be made directly to the event’s secure website: http://www.sailingformiracles.org.

Strictly Sail St. Petersburg Show Dates: Nov. 3-6, 2005

Show Hours:

• Thursday and Friday: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Featured Event: “Sailing for Miracles” fundraiser, presented by Southeastern Sailing Association and Sail America in partnership with the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. Celebrity sailors host entertaining regattas and host fundraising activities, including the kickoff “Masters Under Sail” cocktail party on Nov. 4 at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. For more information: www.sailingformiracles.org

Admission:

• Weekday Adult Tickets: $10.00
• Weekend Adult Tickets: $12.00
• Children 15 and under FREE with a paid adult
• Two-day tickets are available for $20.00

Location: Spa Beach at base of St. Petersburg Pier, 800 Second Avenue N.E. (end of Second Avenue N.E. ), St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Directions: Take I-275 to Exit 23A (The Pier/4th Ave NE) to Beach Drive. You normally turn South on Beach Drive to 2nd Avenue N.E. and turn East, but there is some construction on Beach Drive at this time, so you will need to turn LEFT on Beach and go to 5th Avenue NE in front of the Vinoy and then turn right on Bayshore. The Pier is at the end of 2nd Avenue N.E. on the water.