An industry update in light of Coronavirus turmoil - Australian MarineBusinessWorld.com newsletter
by Peter Rendle 19 Mar 2020 14:00 PDT
Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show © Sanctuary Cove Media
We are already seeing the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic and the government rulings on social gatherings. The Pittwater Expo at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club has been cancelled together with the Rosehill Boat Show in Sydney. In Queensland the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show has also been postponed.
In South Australia the Boating Industry Association has announced that the Adelaide Boat Show is postponed to late September with dates to be announced and subject to ongoing monitoring of the situation. The Sydney International Boat Show is still in the planning stages and will tentatively go ahead at the end of July, however the situation will also be continually monitored and a further announcement made on the 31st May.
The Brisbane Boat Show is till due to go ahead on the 21st-23rd August with a final decision being made on the 30th of June. Another victim on the cancellation list is AIMEX 2020. ASMEX organisers, the Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX), the Australian Commercial Marine Group (ACMG) and Superyacht Australia stated that the health and well-being of their members, sponsors, speakers, staff and other stakeholders is their top priority.
Meanwhile the Marina Industries Association (MIA) is making rapid adjustments to services to its membership that spans many countries all being impacted by COVID-19. The President of MIA Andrew Chapman said that like each of its members, significant and quick actions are required by MIA to adjust to the rapidly changing needs of its members. "For example, due to the rapid temporary end to face to face group training and networking we are ramping up our on-line learning and meetings capability. As of today, all 11 face to face courses and networking meetings to the end of June, plus the Intermediate Marina Management course set for July in Thailand have been postponed or moved on-line. A decision by the MIA Board about the remaining twelve face-to-face events to year end will be made within the next few weeks".
Darren Vaughan, President of the Boating Industry Association of Australia puts his views forward, presenting a positive slant on events. He acknowledges that Australia has experienced an extraordinary combination of environmental extremes in fire and flood, and is now experiencing the pandemic Coronavirus COVID-19. The collective impact is challenging social, economic and environmental norms. The fires and floods strained and stressed communities in the impacted areas which were primarily regional, and COVID-19 has added to that through social and economic implications of international consequence of an unknown scale and duration. He says "That is why it was so good to see the Firefighter family day on the water event get off to a great start last weekend," he said. "Congratulations to all involved and to Neil Driscoll of Above and Beyond Boating for developing the idea. "The motivation for this initiative was to help share the joy and feel-good benefits of boating with these first responders. Let's support more opportunities like this where boating can help in the recovery process; to share the benefits of getting out on a boat and out into a clean, fresh environment."
Despite the depressing news, marine companies are maintaining their presence and Raymarine owners can get under way with the confidence in knowing their electronics will perform in extreme conditions. Why? Because Raymarine electronics are literally tortured in the company's very own Environmental Test Centre in the UK, where they are subjected to hard drops, prolonged vibration, extreme temperatures, wireless emissions, relentless rain and spray, full submersion, and the simulation of months at sea inside a salt mist chamber.
Well-established Australian-owned company Ronstan has just released a new range of soft attachment blocks which have the highest ratio of dynamic load to sheave diameter of any block in their keelboat block range. Featuring fully machined aluminium cheeks and sheaves incorporating a full contact, self-lubricating composite bearing running on a polished duplex stainless steel hub, the new blocks are built to last and suit a multitude of demanding applications where high static and dynamic loads are encountered.
As far as MarineBusinessWorld, Sail-World and PowerBoat-World are concerned we will continue to bring you the latest news and updates from this vibrant industry. Our digital platforms are open 24/7 and we will be posting the news on a daily basis within hours of it being received. Feel free to send us your news to the email address below.
Aveagooden,
Peter Rendle peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com