In the wake of the Chancellor’s VAT reduction announcement yesterday, James Brooke, the Managing Director of the Sail, Power & Watersports Show which opens today, 25 November, is confident that this is absolutely the right move as far as his Show exhibitors are concerned and exhibitors have, in turn, been quick to praise the move.

Mike Williams of marine engine distributor E.P. Barrus said, “In my opinion it’s a small amount but if it encourages purchases at the Show I will be more than happy. Any small advantage to making a sale in the current climate is welcome.”

Gary Piercey of Gibbs Marine added: “Every little helps. With high value products 2.5% is a great saving, making this an even better time to buy. So a further £1200 saving on a £40k boat is more than welcome.”

The Show is being opened by Katie Derham, the ITV newsreader and presenter, and she will be joined on stage by some well-known names from the world of sail, power and watersports.

The exhibits will include a 60ft whale – the Show’s largest exhibit. James was persuaded to carry out the full Pinocchio style ‘walk through’ tour and ended up at the bow.

The whale, caught by a Norwegian fisherman in the 1950s, is now an interactive ‘hands on’ walkthrough exhibit and is expected to attract huge attention.

“We have a really great show lined up for the visitors,” says James Brooke. “The amazing collection of boats and general watersports kit for people to see is astonishing and it’s all under one roof in central London. It’s been really exciting watching the show emerge from nothing as Earls Court has turned from a massive empty space into a thriving maritime scene over the past few days.”

The Show at Earls Court runs until Sunday 30 November. Doors open at 10am each day.

Sail, Power & Watersports Show Facts

Number of days to build up & dismantle the Show

· Build up takes 7 days/Break Down takes 3 days

· The Pool is filled first with water & boats and the remainder of boats & stands are brought in on a size basis . . . largest and heaviest first.

Largest boats exhibited

· Sail: Bavaria 47 / Power: Trader 42

Most expensive boats exhibited

· Sail: Bavaria 47 = £148,500 inc. VAT
· Power: Trader 42 = £363,000 inc. VAT

Biggest exhibit

· 60ft Jonah the Whale – interactive; real, not stuffed!

Smallest boat

· 6ft Tadpole from Heyland Marine

Cheapest boat

· YAK from Heyland Marine at £299 inc. VAT (oars & rollocks)

What is the depth of the Central Pool?

· The pool can be dropped to the following levels: 1.486metres, 2.083metres, 2.845metres and the deep end section only can go down to 4.064metres below floor level

How long does it take to fill up & empty the Central Pool?

· It takes 3 days and 4 nights to fill the pool and 24 hours to empty (slower if there is rainfall!)

How many gallons/litres does the Central Pool hold?

· 2,250.000 gallons or 10,125,000 litres

A little history about the Central Pool

· The pool was first used in 1937 when Earls Court opened for a swimming spectacular starring Johnny Weissmuller as ‘Tarzan’. It has also been used as a basement floor for the Motor Show, a giant bath and a floating restaurant.

How many boats can the Central Pool hold?

· On average we can get 30 boats on the Pool but this obviously depends on the size of them – or as many as we can fit into 59.436 x 28.956 metres of space – this year we have 24 boats ranging from powerboats to sail ranging from 6ft to 47ft.