Tidewater Boat Show this weekend!

Panorama of the Tidewater Boat Show opening day:



There's still time to get over to the Tidewater Boat Show at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, packed with dealers ready to do business offering discounts and rebates on all kinds of beautiful boats. Hours are:

Saturday (3/27): 10 am to 8 pm
and Sunday (3/28): 11 am to 5 pm

There are also booths with valuable information for boaters including safety information from the US Coast Guard and Boater Education.







Stop by Salt Ponds Marina display and the Hampton booth to meet folks from the Hampton Public Piers and Downtown Hampton!

Buckroe Fishing Pier to Open

The Buckroe Beach Fishing Pier is about to open next weekend (March 27) for the 2010 season, a sure sign of spring!

The pier, a Hampton tradition for generations, was destroyed by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The new 709-foot pier opened in 2009 with much fanfare. It has restrooms, snack bar and bait shop, two shelters and fish cleaning stations.

The pier is open 24 hours every day, through the end of December.

All required fishing licensing has been purchased by the pier, but if you do have a current Virginia Salt Water Fishing License, you will receive $2 off the adult admission, $10 off the monthly pass and $25 off of the yearly pass.


Here’s the fishing tournament schedule for this year (fees are in addition to the pier admission fee):

Cobia Tournament - $25/person
Ongoing – 12 a.m. Saturday, May 29 to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, August 29

Flounder Tournament - $15/person
Ongoing – 12 a.m. Saturday, May 29 to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, August 29

(The Cobia and Flounder tournaments run simultaneously)

Striper Tournament - $20/person
Runs 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 26 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28

Kids Fishing Night
1st and 3rd Wednesdays in June, July and August, 6-9 p.m.
Ages 12 and under get in half price and there will be give-aways, fishing tips and demonstrations.


Admission fees:

Adult $8, senior (62-plus) $6, children (10 and under) $6, non-fishing visitors with fishermen $4, sightseeing adults $1, sightseeing child .50, monthly pass $60, seasonal pass (April –October) $250

For more info and tournament registration, call 757-727-1486, email or visit online.

Watch a video of the pier’s grand opening in May 2009

Hampton’s 400th Anniversary Exhibit Openings

Our waterfront city is gearing up for a spectacular year of celebrations for its 400^th anniversary. In preparation, Hampton museums have scheduled some special exhibits to honor the anniversary and illuminate Hampton’s unique place in American history.

Feb. 28 through Nov. 27, 2010
“The City of Hampton Through the Lens of Reuben V. Burrell and James Van Der Zee”

Hampton University Museum

March 1 through Aug. 15, 2010:

"South King: Hampton's Waterfront Through the Ages"

Hampton History Museum

Features the waterfront of Hampton along South King Street as it has changed over the past 400 years. Drawings and photographs portray the different moods and looks of this area, while artifacts from archaeological excavations and from the still-existing ship chandlery and seafood businesses there, will provide multiple foci of information and stories about the oldest continuous English settlement in North America.

April 3 through May 16, 2010
“A Place Very Pleasant to Inhabit”

Charles H. Taylor Arts Center

This exhibition will present 400 years of Hampton’s art, from its earliest settlement through five centuries up until today. Over 150 artworks in all media and from all periods by many artists who have lived, worked, and been inspired by Hampton will be featured.

Sept. 15 through March 17, 2011
A special exhibit honoring Hampton's premiere photographers, C. Ethelbert and W. E. "Happy" Cheyne will be on display.
Hampton History Museum

Tidewater Boat Show coming to Hampton March 26-28

These days everyone is looking for ways to save money and boaters are no exception. Organizers of the 6th Annual Tidewater Boat Show say it’s all about one word this year: “SALE.”

The dealers are pricing boats to sell, with no reasonable offer refused, says Dave Body of Affinity Events, producer of the show coming to the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA March 26-28.

“The dealers will handle the financing for you, and we are seeing some signs that the banks are starting to cooperate. Trade-ins will be considered. If you are considering buying a boat, this is the time,” Body said.

Another ‘sale’ is the cost of admission itself. New this year are on-line ticket sales, with a savings of $3 off the adult ticket price of $7. Children 16 and under are free.

All types and sizes of boats will be on display: runabouts, saltwater fishing boats, ski boats, pontoon boats, deck boats and jet boats.

In addition, there will be exhibits of boat lifts, floating docks, marine electronics, water sports and safety equipment. Experts will be able to answer questions about a variety of topics: marinas, financing, insurance, boat maintenance and repair and boating safety.

And if you don’t see it all in one day, go to the Show Office and ask for a free return pass to come back!

Show Hours
Friday (3/26): Noon to 8 pm
Saturday (3/27): 10 am to 8 pm
Sunday (3/28): 11 am to 5 pm

Dealers include:
Lynnhaven Marine, Norfolk Marine, Bill's Marine, Centerville Waterway Marine, Master Marine of Williamsburg, Nautical Marine, Ed's Marine and Chesdin Boat Sales.

For tickets and more information, go to tidewaterboatshow.com

Hampton Clean Marinas

Several Hampton marinas are certified in the Virginia Clean Marina program. In fact, Hampton Public Piers was the very first in the state to sign up and pledge environmentally sound practices.

But just what does the certification mean?

“For an area like Hampton that is a boating destination for transient boaters, yacht clubs and seasonal boaters, a primary benefit is the recognition that the Clean Marina designation gives a facility,” says Anne L. Smith, of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, which administers the Virginia Clean Marinas programs.

“As Clean Marina programs develop and expand across the nation, boaters are becoming increasingly aware of what the designation represents,” she said.

For boaters, this designation means you can be assured the facility has adopted practices on recycling, boat cleaning, fueling, painting, sewage, fish wastes, and hazardous materials that prevent or reduce pollution to our waters and in turn, valuable fish and wildlife.

To be sure you as a boater are practicing clean boating measures, check out VirginiaCleanMarina.com for downloadable fact sheets on topics like petroleum, sewage and other waste.

Hampton’s certified Clean Marinas include Hampton Public Piers, Old Point Comfort Marina, Bluewater Yachting Center, Salt Ponds Marina and Southall Landings Marina.

Hampton Sailor David Taylor Featured in SpinSheet magazine

Hampton's own David Taylor is featured in the February issue of Spinsheet Magazine: Chesapeake Racer Profile.

It begins:

"Some sailors seem to have a more prominent give-back gene than others. A Hampton, VA native, David Taylor learned to sail at the Hampton YC (HYC) junior program and on his father’s Columbia 10.7 and J/24 (one of the first dozen made)..."

Click here to read the full Q&A with David (go to page 75).

Mid-Atlantic Boat Show in Virginia Beach

Got cabin fever? That’s the perfect excuse to get yourself to a boat show and dream about warmer weather to come.

The 56th Annual Mid-Atlantic Sports and Boat Show is coming to the Virginia Beach Convention Center next weekend, Feb. 12-14, with more than 100 exhibitors and boat dealers.

Russ Kostinas, General Manager, said all the big dealers are lining up to make deals on new 2010 boats and unused 2009 models.

“We will once again host the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Awards Friday night at 7 pm. We have a new state of the art Fishing Simulator and a saltwater tournament based on the simulator. We have a Fighting Chair Challenge and you can test your skill on the new way to drive a boat with a joystick,” he said.

There will also be face-painting for the kids, and angler clubs to teach tie-flying and net-casting.

Hours:
Friday (2/12), noon to 9 pm
Saturday (2/13), 10 am to 8 pm
Sunday (2/14), noon to 5 pm

Admision: $8 for adults, 12 and under are free, as is the parking. Complete this short survey and they’ll give you $3 off admission.