Issued by: Biz Events


Whether you prefer a sport like wakeboarding, that keeps you close to the water, or kiteboarding, which makes you believe you just might be able to fly, there's a wind or water sport for you, and it's on show at the National Boat Show from 15 - 17 August at the Coca-Cola dome.

According to Kyle Holtzhauzen, director of Amped, distributor of Liquid Force kiteboarding and wakeboarding gear, kiteboarding can be mastered by just about anyone.

“Kiteboarding is 90% flying the kite and 10% board skills, so you don't need amazing coordination and almost anyone can do it. You also don't need a boat, petrol or anyone to tow you - it's just you, the kite, the wind, the water and whatever the earth has to provide on the day. If you love solitary sports and the feeling of total freedom - this is for you.”

NBS also welcomes you to the amazing and exhilarating sport of Blokart sailing. This Kiwi invention looks like a hybrid go-kart-windsurfer and offers an adrenaline-packed ride on the beach, in a park or recreation area…and even on ice!

The Blokart is incredibly small, weighing in at only 30kg, which makes it portable and convenient to transport. It comes complete with its own carry bag and can be assembled quickly and efficiently, with no tools being required.

If you're looking at Blokart sailing for recreational purposes or competitively, you'll find a host of like-minded enthusiasts to blast around with, as an international network of Blokart fans is now being established in South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania.

Blokarts will be on show, with full demonstrations of their extreme manoeuvrability, only at NBS!

Wake up to wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is a bit like skateboarding, only with a boat to tow you and a wake to totally spice up your routine! The social aspect of wakeboarding is also a major factor driving its popularity.

If you want to see all the thrills of wakeboarding in action, don't miss the popular Wake Wars Wakeboarding competition at the National Boat Show, which takes place from 15 - 17 August at the Coca-Cola dome.

Devon Nassif (three times SA champ); Shaun Faccio (current European champ); Clayton Krause (current SA champ) and Damien Laird (current SA junior men's champ) reign supreme in this popular sport, and their show stopping moves and skill will keep you truly enthralled.

This year, the competition features the first ever portable wakeboard trailer in the Southern hemisphere, with entrants being towed by the biggest winch in the country and pulled over a 12m slider. This is a definite must-see!

Cameron Rein, Brand Manager of O'Brien, veteran provider of wakeboarding, waterskiing, tubing and watersports accessories adds: “Wakeboarding is fun to learn and much easier than skiing. It's actually a bit like skateboarding, surfing and skiing, combined.”

Keep an eye open at NBS for the 2008 O'Brien wakeboarding range and for the ballast tank it is promoting to help devotees achieve that all-important, bigger wake to raise the bar on their performance.

Also look out for Liquid Force and Straightline, a Californian-based company whose wakeboarding accessories also include a ballast tank, from local distributor Amped; as well as Ronix Wakeboards from Boating International. www.nationalboatshow.co.za

Sail off into the sunset

If traditional sailing is more your thing, get to the first exclusive sailing area at the National Boat Show, 15-17 August at the Coca-Cola dome where you can learn more about the different sailing disciplines straight form the experts.

Ocean Sailing Academy (OSA) and Sunsail - two companies among the sailing exhibitors at NBS that have secured prime exhibition space, are giving the sailing fraternity something special to look forward to. This is taste of what's on offer:

• In addition to OSA's traditional courses, new powerboat courses and other offerings, the company has now ventured into super yachting. This industry is massive, with work on board super yachts providing attractive employment opportunities for youngsters. OSA's super yacht courses and Ocean Crew is the focus of its NBS exhibit, but information on its traditional courses, the Bavaria Yachts and Cranchi powerboats (for which it is a dealer) is also available.
  
  
• Sunsail offers a range of courses, from basic introductions to sailing to Yachtmaster career courses. Sunsail also offers a wide range of yachts in the world's most desirable sailing destinations within their flexible range of purchase and management programmes, to either invest in or to charter for sailing holiday purposes.
  
  
• Fountaine Pajot cruising catamarans is displaying its range of yachts, which is manufactured in France, as well as an ‘Aventura 23.5' manufactured by Go Catamaran.
  
  
• The Italians have arrived at NBS too, with their exciting international range of sailing and yachting products on offer.

Fish for the best deals, advice and more!

Bass fishing, fly fishing, shore fishing, offshore fishing - South Africans are flocking to the waterways in their droves to try their hand at this ancient pastime. Some do it for the fun of it, others for the competition, but all do it for the love of it.

Every year, seasoned professionals and novices alike visit the National Boat Show at the Coca-Cola dome from 15 - 17 August to get the scoop on the latest fishing tackle, boats and accessories and to acquire all the knowledge the experts are willing to share. NBS is the ultimate exploration ground for those looking to either raise their game or get into it.

Want to update your tools and techniques so you're not left behind? Can't decide what type of fishing you want to try next? Want to find the best new tools for the job? Trying to determine which is the right boat for you and your kind of fishing? Then check out our wide range of fishing exhibitions. Don't miss:

• Solly's Anglers Corner's expo stand, where vertical jigging fishing tackle is a major focus. Managing director, Omar Mia, says visitors will especially benefit from great show specials on the much shorter than traditional Shimano vertical jigging rods with their full graphite bodies, powerful bottom sections and flexible tops.
  
  
• NBS's free workshops, covering a wide range of fascinating topics and providing thoroughly useful tips, advice and information, from those who have ‘been there and are doing that'. Angling topics include tackle selection targeting game fish; and targeting bill fish.

Bassafrica Classic live at NBS

The Bassafrica Classic tournament is being staged around the National Boat Show.
The two-day tournament features 100 two-person teams of either novices, professionals or a combination of both and takes place on Friday 15 August and Saturday 16 August at the Vaal River.

The final weigh-in of the top 15 teams is on Sunday, 17 August live at the National Boat Show and will be compered by popular singer and entertainer Bok van Blerk. The team that catches the heaviest five fish, over the two days, wins the extraordinary prize of a fully rigged, competitive bass boat with a high-powered outboard motor, valued at R250 000!

The event takes place in the precinct outdoor show area, where there are several exciting expo stands and interactive boating and watersports attractions. All fish caught during the Bassafrica Classic are released alive.

There is also loads of entertainment for the kids, including Casting Kids, a fabulously exciting activity where children get to cast at targets and stand a chance to win loads of exciting prizes. It's guaranteed to occupy the kids for hours, so you may want to stop off there first and leave yours to it, while you visit the rest of the show!

For more information visit www.nationalboatshow.co.za.

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