The weather threatened, but ultimately the opening weekend of the annual Southampton Boat show stayed dry – all the better for the huge crowds of boating enthusiasts to view the boats, and especially the lovely Nordhavn 64 Sweet Hopewhich seemed to always have throngs of people aboard.

Having just arrived in England from the U.S. this summer, Sweet Hope impressed Europe’s Nordhavn aficionados as well as those who are new to the boating scene. “Unbelievable”, “spectacular”, “I LOVE this boat”, “she looks like new”, “now this is a proper yacht”, “I’m lost” were some of the many enthusiastic words overheard by the busy PAE staff. Indeed, the gorgeous yacht which has spent nearly it’s entire existence cruising North America has been meticulously maintained by a full-time captain. She became available after her owners stepped up to a N76.

Neil Russell of Nordhavn Europe was heard to say, “With optimism in the air and the United Kingdom economy on the rise, this is the best Southampton Boat Show since the pre-recession years.”

The Southampton Boat Show runs thru Sunday September 20.