Speedboats win big at BVI Exquisite Boat Show

Several boats, known for their flamboyance and speed reeled in lots of cash last weekend at the fourth annual BVI Exquisite Boat Show on Scrub Island.

A total of seven vessel owners took part and among them was Malkin Roberts whose Cream 32 vessel earned him the biggest cash prize of $3,500.

Cream 32 won $2,000 for topping the Best Paint Job segment in the ’30 feet and over’ category. It then won an additional $1,500 for having the ‘best interior’.

Show to complement BVI culture

Co-founder of the BVI Exquisite Boat Show Meslyn Allan told BVI News the event was envisioned to complement the BVI sailing and boating culture.

“We wanted to reward the boaters because the boaters here and those who have the high-performance boats put so much energy and so much work into their boat. Whether it be for beauty or for speed, they spend a lot of money doing it. So we wanted to kind of reward them for that as well as bring together the traditional boat show which allows persons to sell boats at the event,” she said.

Allan said the event was ‘fairly good’ and she is hoping it attracts international boats next year.

“Every year we try to evolve and develop something that will continue to draw more persons into the event. We are looking at coming up with some unique ideas for next year’s event to make it even better and make it appeal to the international boaters such as the USVI and Puerto Rico,” she said.

Meanwhile, the event’s Marine Manager, Anthony George said: “We have created this event for the benefit of the boating community and boat lovers and we hope that persons continue to see the value in what we are doing and support us as we continue to grow this event.”

Below are other winners of the various segments of the boat show:

Best Paint Job (29 feet and under category)
First place — Clifford Thomas with the boat ‘Bad and Bugee‘
Second place — Clebourn Thomas with boat ‘Progression‘
Best Paint Job (30 feet and over category)
Second place — Kadeem Farara with the boat ‘Just E Nuf‘
Best Interior (29 feet and under)
First place — Amal Maduro with boat ‘300 Strong‘
Second place — Clifford Thomas with the boat ‘Bad and Bugee‘
Cleanest Inboard Engine
First place — Andrew Persaud with boat ‘Fresh Squeeze’
Second place — Harold Graham with boat ‘Geico‘
Loudest Sound system
Loudest Sound system — Amal Maduro with boat ‘300 Strong‘

Notably, the award for the Best Paint Job in 29 feet and under category took home a cash prize of $1,600.

The Loudest Sound system award winner also cashed in $1,000 while the Best Interior winner in 29 feet and under category was gifted with $1,000.

In the Cleanest Inboard Engine contest, the winner bagged an $800 prize.

The second place winner in the Best Interior (29 feet and under) and the second place winner of the Cleanest Inboard Engine segment both took home a $300 gas voucher from Delta Petroleum.

There were also prizes such as a watch from the House of Luxury, and a camera from Klass Electronics.