Mar 7-8 Rotoiti Lake Classic Boat Show

Fantastic. Gorgeous boats, stunning setting on a lake in the mountains south of Nelson. This Classic Boat Show is in it's tenth year with over a 180 boats participating! Wood, fiberglass, aluminum. Sail, oars, steam, V-6 and, jet engines. Even a dessert-spoon powered bicycle on pontoon floats! Old as 1905, Otira, a Logan launch to young Bootlegger, finished just before the show.

The highlight for me being, I got to be a guest judge. For all the mass of different types of boats at the show, picking only 5 boats as winners seemed impossible: Power, Non-power, Jetboat, Originally Row (could now have engine), and Overall Winner. Luckily, I had the help of John Moore who has judged the show every year since it began and his wife, Woodi.

The criteria for judgement leaned towards effort and story, rather than fancy bling, though I admit the eventual overall winner had some amazing brightwork. Other than a list of boats that won recently, that we would not be choosing again, I could choose any boat to shortlist in a category. I wandered anonymously through the crowds, listening to owners' talk about their boats.

With shortlist in hand, we met at the waterfront as the boats were launched to discuss, and see how they looked in the water. Each type of boat competed in short races on a course close to shore, so the spectators could cheer them on! Our shortlists, got altered some and then even shorter. And it wasn't necessarily the fastest boats that won the prizes. We chose one of the slowest jetboats to win the trophy.

Finally, winners chosen, I got to do what I love most: sail. In a short sailing course, I steered and the boat owner and my host Jim McNabb, hauled the jib sheets calling the tacks of his Idle Along called Idle Hours. I think we came 6th or so. Have to say I was more focused on not breaking anything than race placement. Was great fun, if a bit gusty.

At the awards ceremony that night, each of winners got a bottle of wine from the main sponsor, Seresin Estates and a trophy. The overall winner being a cup made by Jens Hansen (jeweller of Lord of the Rings fame).

Back into Nelson, I stayed on at Jim and Kaye's house while they went on well-deserved holiday.

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