ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (January 30, 2023) – Billed as the Largest Boat Show on the Gulf Coast, the St. Petersburg Power and Sailboat Show, Presented by Progressive, attracted a record-breaking crowd of marine enthusiasts to the city’s downtown waterfront during its four-day run.
Now in its 45th year, the event was held from Thursday, January 19, through Sunday, January 22, at the Mahaffey Theater Yacht Basin and Albert Whitted Park. Hundreds of fishing boats and sailboats lined Bayshore Drive while yachts moored along the docks. An expansive 40,000-square-foot tent housed marine equipment, accessories, and professional services.
The boat show also offered complimentary on-water boat training, fishing clinics for kids, and dozens of other educational marine seminars. Over 300 exhibitors showcased the marine industry’s latest innovations and products.
Boat sales increased significantly during the pandemic, as the pastime provided a socially distanced leisure activity, however all said event attendance was even better than expected.
Michael Galati, brand manager for Anna Maria-based Galati Yachts, said attendance was “definitely up,” and his company was close to matching 2022’s sales within the first three days.
Darren Plymale, executive vice president, said he came into the event with low expectations but was “shocked” at the turnout. He noted that many of the people he spoke with were new faces rather than past customers.
Galati Yachts has participated in the St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show, Presented by Progressive, since 1992. Plymale said the company’s display increased significantly over the last two decades, and a team of captains brings boats from across the state to the annual event.
Galati operates a marina on Gandy Boulevard, and he called the area the company’s backyard. After 20 years on the same dock, Plymale said not serving as one of the event’s anchors is unimaginable.
The 2024 St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show, Presented by Progressive will return Thursday, January 19, 2024 to Sunday, January 22, 2024.
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