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04/20/2021 03:45 PMWith a resurgence in the popularity of boating during the COVID-19 pandemic, the return of the Connecticut Spring Boat Show in Essex is a welcome sign of the busy season ahead. The 5th annual boat show kicks off this year on Friday, April 30, at Safe Harbor Essex Island, 11 Ferry Street in Essex from 1 to 6 p.m. It will also run on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales, 50 percent, will benefit Sails Up 4 Cancer, a non-profit organization based in Mystic that helps support cancer care centers as well as individuals and families who are struggling financially while battling cancer.
The location, Safe Harbor Essex Island, is a 13-acre private island on the Connecticut River, accessible by a complimentary ferry service.
“Our beautiful, family-friendly venue in the historic waterfront village of Essex, Connecticut is truly unique,” said Safe Harbor General Manager Matt Beer in a written statement. “No other boat show, boutique or otherwise, has a setting like ours.”
In addition to the “in-water boats”, many land-based exhibitors will use the dockside lawns of the island to showcase “new and brokerage, power and sail models with sea trials available,” according to a press release from event organizers.
Other companies featuring boating gear, accessories, and waterfront real estate, just to name a few, will also be on site.
Purchasing a ticket in advance at www.ctspringboatshow.com is recommended.
Sails Up 4 Cancer
The boat show’s cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on Sails Up 4 Cancer, according to Ben Cesare, who is the event organizer and owner of Windcheck Magazine.
“The charity, obviously, took a real sting,” said Cesare, who added that in a typical year, the boat show raises $12,000 to $15,000 for Sails Up 4 Cancer.
“It’s a lot of money to them,” said Cesare. “It’s a small charity and they use the money super efficiently.”
Sails Up 4 Cancer was started by Bob Davis, who was treated for two different types of cancer in 2004 and 2010. He was introduced to fundraising for cancer patients by participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Leukemia Cup Regatta.
Davis became a four-time lead fundraiser as well as a two-time Leukemia Cup winner during his association with LLS.
It was on a recreational sail with a friend, after recovering from chemo radiation therapy, that Davis first discussed starting his own charity.
“I went sailing with him and I said, ‘Why don’t we do our own thing? We want to do something that is going to help cancer patients. We want to raise money. We want to be active in the cancer community because of our experience,’” said Davis.
Davis had also recently received a diagnosis of being cancer free.
“I felt blessed, and I felt that it was incumbent upon me, to share my good fortune with people who are less fortunate…and give back,” said Davis.
Sails Up 4 Cancer was founded in the summer of 2010, bolstered by the support of the fundraising network Davis had established since 2004.
In addition to making contributions to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for patients of the Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center in Waterford, the nonprofit helps individuals and families through its Spinnaker Fund.
The “Spinnaker Fund, this is really, really the cornerstone of what Sails Up 4 Cancer has become,” said Davis.
The spinnaker sail “is typically used when you’re sailing down wind. So, we like to use the metaphor, ‘We’ve got your back, going downwind,’” said Davis.
Individuals and families can apply directly to the Spinnaker Fund for help covering a patient’s basic expenses during cancer treatment.
Davis said he’s pleased that the Connecticut Spring Boat Show is back on this year, especially after all fundraising events for Sails Up 4 Cancer were canceled last year.
“I’m absolutely thrilled,” he said. “I’m thrilled. I love the location. I love that Essex Island.”
Boating Industry
For Cesare, this year’s show is an opportunity to build on prior success and the unexpected groundswell of popularity the boating industry is experiencing due to the pandemic.
As an industry that “goes through good times and bad, it’s always worrisome…Well, the pandemic blew all of that up,” said Cesare. “Everybody wanted to get out on the water because it was an activity that you could do with your family and be out in nature and it’s fun.”
The number of new boat registrations in the state saw a 97.2 percent increase from 5,559 in 2019 to 10,962 in 2020, according to Will Healey, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP).
The number of safe boating certificates also jumped 49.5 percent, from 7,815 in 2019 to 11,686 in 2020. Healey is seeing similar trends for 2021.
As of March 31, there is a “59 percent increase over the same time period from last year in boaters getting the education to legally operate,” he said.
Tasha Cusson, chair of the Connecticut Marine Trades Association, said that there has been an uptick in sales for boats since the pandemic started in Connecticut.
“We like to think it’s because it’s the best way to social distance, making memories with your family and friends, being out there on the water,” said Cusson, who added that the industry being deemed essential early in the pandemic helped fuel an interest in boating.
“It just got people out there,” she said.
A downside to the increase in popularity is limited inventory based on manufacturers unable to keep up with demand and limited slip availability at marinas, she said.
Cusson, who owns two marinas with about 86 slips, said she is already at capacity.
“They’re gone,” she said of the slips. “Each and every one of them.”
With the current state of the industry a reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cesare said “it would be interesting to see if this sticks” once the virus subsides.
“Will boating stay as a staple of family fun?” he asks.
He answers easily and quickly.
“I certainly hope so. It certainly should,” he said.
Adherence to safety protocols for COVID-19, as recommended by the Centers for Disease and Control, State of Connecticut, and Essex Health Department, is required at the event.