Trawler Fest - Stuart, Florida

We arrived here on January 21st, leaving the -4 degree temps of upstate NY only to find it 39 degrees in southern Florida. Brrrrrrrrrr.

View from our condo....Sunrise on Jensen Beach

On the 22nd, opening day of Trawler Fest, temps got into the high 60's, but that was better than -4. By the next day, temps leveled out into the mid 70's for the remainder of the Fest. We stayed in the area for 4 extra days after the Trawler Fest, and everyday was sunny, and each day the temp rose a few degrees. By the 28th, the day we headed back to NY, the temp was 82 by 10 AM.

This was our first Trawler Fest, and all I can say is WOW. It was great.

We met so many wonderful people, both novices and experienced cruisers alike.

We also learned quite a bit. They had some seminars that both Dottie and I attended. I went to seminars regarding electrical and charging systems, diesel fuel and fuel polishing, and a diesel engine question & answer forum. Dottie went to seminars regarding medical emergencies aboard while cruising, and we both attened seminars on cruising the Down East Circle route and cruising the Florida Keys. All of the seminars were very well put together, and gave everyone a chance to ask whatever questions they chose.


The venue for the Fest was the Marriott Hutchinson Island resort, and it was a great place. In today's world, you kinda forget what service is until you arrive at a place like this resort. It was excellent.
The "in-the-water" boat show was terrific. They had about 50 boats on display which you could go aboard and snoop around all you wanted without the pressure of sales people on your back.

There were trawlers that ranged in size from 25' to 65' and in price from under $100K to well over $2.5 million.
We both wished we had a spare million or two to spend....LOL.

Their second largest boat, a 63' Ocean Reef Trawler did sell at the show....for $1.9 million, and the kicker was that the couple who bought that boat had never owned a boat before. What a way to start boating!! At the closing dinner reception, they introduced that couple, and some of the marine gear distributors gave them beautiful gifts to welcome them into the family of boating.

It was a great three days, and we would recommend to anyone that is interested in trawlers to attend one of their Trawler Fests.