This years 50th London Boat Show was held for the first time at Excel the new venue in the Docklands. This very popular event brought in a massive 210.000 visitors. Because of the large halls it meant that everyone had plenty of walking space and no one felt too restricted and therefore enjoyed all that was there to be seen.

Honnor Marine had a wonderful stand to show off their very popular Original Devon Lugger and Scaffie.

The highlight of the show was on the Wednesday morning when HRH Princess Anne came onto the Honnor Marine stand to present the Show Lugger to the AHOY centre.

The Ahoy Centre's mission is to offer everyone the opportunity to access and enjoy the river Thames by developing sailing and boating facilities for the whole community with particular focus on the young disadvantaged.

As HRH Princess Anne is the patron of Sailability Clive Clifford the Chief Executive of Sailability requested that HRH should do the presentation as she had only two months previously opened the AHOY centre.

Sailability for London is part of the RYA Sailability's UK-wide approach to provide accessible boating for all people with disabilities, not merely as a one-off, but creating a pastime that we can all enjoy at any time.

It was all made possible in the first place by the generosity of Christopher Johnston MD of Personal Assurance.

The Charitable Company of Personal Assurance who are based at Milton Keynes paid for the Lugger "GANGA" which HRH named.

HRH Princess Anne chatting to Clive Ongalvy who runs the AHOY centre with Karen Ward one of the volunteers who's full time work is a professional photographer; once the weather improves we have been promised photographs of GANGA sailing on the Thames near Tower Bridge.

We would like to thank all our visitors customers old and new as well as friends who supported us daily at the show.

It is always a pleasure to see Lt Commander Rothwell with Adrian who are based at Whale Island Portsmouth and who enjoy the use of one of Honnor Marines Gigs at the sailing centre.

The Royal Navy who were also exhibiting at the show put on a great stand with lots of information and also took an interest in the Lugger.

Alex Haig our agent from Anglia Yacht Brokerage came to the show on the first day and was very impressed with the new venue.

Mr and Mrs Cowdrey who recently took delivery of there Dabber "Lily May" one of the Southampton Boat Show orders.

Phil and his brother from Preston who are keen sailors were delighted at the venue.

Bob and I were pleased to meet Richard Pywell again, we delivered his Scaffie in November to Chertsey, but Richard will sail KIRA 11 in Cornwall.

Although we didn't have room on the stand for our CapeCutter19, visitors arrived from Germany to place orders. Claus Denker and his father were very impressed with the CC19 and will be owners of hull number ( 82).

Three orders were taken at the show for the CC19 and a further three on our return to the office; we are now up to hull number (86). The CapeCutter 19 is proving to be a well sought after boat with export orders to Spain Italy Germany Qatar and the USA.

Simon Head and son Simeon are always welcome at our shows and stay to give us a hand with our brochures, Simon now the owner of a CC19 is very willing to talk any sailing matters over with potential customers;

Unfortunately Nick and Lyndsey Voorhoeve who were expected to visit us at the show had the opportunity of last minute reasonable flight to the USA from London and sadley couldn't make it; Bob and I and everyone who knows them wish them all the best in their new venture and it was a pleasure to deal with them and an honour to take over their remarkable CapeCutter19 business which we hope to carry on with the good work.

Bob and I would like to thank Captain Honnor (son of Colonel Honnor who first started Honnor Marine) who appeared one afternoon on the stand.

He said his Father would of been proud to see the boats now being built to such a high standard.

Family help came in the way of our eldest daughter Karma who appeared on a busy Saturday to help with the 40.000 visitors.

We decided to name the show Scaffie" EXCEL 4" which was sold two hours before the show finished on the Sunday.

We delivered her the following weekend to Darlington to the delight of her new owners Steve and Jennifer Barker.

As it was the first time for the boat show to be held at EXCEL and every had been apprehensive at the outcome of the venue Bob and Norma owners of Honnor Marine were delighted at the sales, resulting in eight Lugger orders at the show combined with three CapeCutter orders and of course the sale of EXCEL 4 with orders still coming in on their return to the boatyard.

We have booked already for 2005 when we hope to meet up with all our customers once again.