As 2024 draws to a close, we’re thrilled to report a continued healthy level of enquiries across the diverse range of boats we finance. It’s been a dynamic year for the marine industry, with notable developments, challenges, and exciting opportunities.
Adapting to Changes in the Inland Sector
One of the most significant developments this year has been the updated RCD/RCR guidance affecting vessel certification in the inland boating sector. The industry has responded swiftly, adapting to the new standards to ensure clarity and compliance for buyers and sellers alike. You can read more about these changes here: RCD RCR guidance
Boat Show Updates: A Changing Landscape
In November, we received the unfortunate news that the NEC decided to cancel BoatLife. While it’s a disappointment, rising costs have understandably made it a challenge for exhibitors to commit to this newer show.
Meanwhile, the Southampton International Boat Show (SIBS) has announced some notable updates. The show will move back a week in 2025 to avoid clashing with the Cannes Boat Show. So, make sure to pack an extra layer and a torch for what promises to be another incredible event.
Supporting New Boaters with Waterways World
We’re excited to partner with Waterways World in its new initiative to help aspiring boaters. The Beginner’s Boating Courses will take place in three locations, and Promarine Finance is proud to sponsor these events.
We’ll be on hand to discuss how financing can make boat ownership accessible, at the following venues on these dates:
Barton Marina, Staffordshire, DE13 8DZ – 3rd February 2025
Roydon Marina Village, Essex, CM19 5EJ – 7th April 2025
Crick Boat Show, Northamptonshire, NN6 7SQ – 23rd May 2025
Stay tuned for more details, or follow this link to sign up:
We’re delighted to welcome Ross Shaw, our new Finance Director, and Kathryn Price, who joined the team in November. Their expertise and enthusiasm are fantastic additions to Promarine, and their presence will ensure we continue delivering an industry-leading service to our customers and partners.
Holiday Office Hours
Please note that our offices will be closed from December 24th to January 2nd. We’ll be back in the New Year, ready to assist with all your marine finance needs.
As always, thank you for your continued support. We look forward to helping more customers navigate their boating dreams in 2025 and beyond!
Setting up at Crick was manageable, but it was hard to ignore the signs of water-logging in the show field…if only we knew what was to come.
Friday was Trade and VIP day which commenced with a welcome breakfast courtesy of Haven Knox-Johnston, followed by British Marine members drinks and exhibitor drinks thanks to Leesan.
It’s safe to say that our newest member of the team, Marc Griffin was thrown in at the deep end.
Saturday was a standout day for us, enjoying not just gorgeous weather, but also a record number of visitors to our stand. It was great to see so many new and existing customers flowing through our stand, and we were very grateful for Pauline’s presence over the weekend which allowed us to keep on top of everything.
And then came Sunday…
What started off as a damp morning gave way to heaven’s opening, and washing us away. Water came from everywhere, leaving the base of each item of furniture submerged.
Amazingly visitors were still splashing around and spirits were not dampened.
Whilst the weather may have been a disappointment, the exhibitor’s Kayak race was not, with Stuart and Marc reaching the semi-finals losing to Waterways World who in the final tied in a dead heat with Kingsround.
We were slightly quieter on Monday than we were over the weekend, however, we still managed to meet plenty of boating enthusiasts, as well as visiting a number of boats.
Our visitor numbers were up 37% over last year, and we managed to issue six finance offers, with the hopes of seeing several more over the coming weeks.
Thank you again to Crick Boat Show for keeping things moving in the face of challenging conditions, to the Promarine Team for giving it their all over the weekend, and to the customers and visitors who helped to make the show a truly memorable event.
As we spring into the warmer months, it’s time for a well-deserved break over Easter to recharge and rejuvenate from a bustling 2024 thus far.
This year has ushered in more flexibility in negotiating boat prices, with sellers displaying a pragmatic approach towards offers.
Despite the complexities of the inland waterways scene, it’s evident that living aboard remains the preferred residential choice for many of our customers.
For those eyeing the purchase of a live-aboard vessel, here are some top tips:
Ensure the boat comes with proper title paperwork, affirming the vendor’s legal right to sell and facilitating future transactions.
Consider leveraging the expertise of a broker who can aid in obtaining essential paperwork.
Check how long you can be on board at your planned mooring, not all allow liveaboards
Always get a full out of water survey from an accredited surveyor eg YDSA or IIMS
Confirm the RCD/RCR status of the vessel
For both inland and ocean going boats, we’re offering stage payments for new builds across the UK and Europe— a facility which is not commonly available.
Additionally, our bridging and short-term finance options, coupled with a no-penalty early settlement feature, are just a couple of ways that we aim to have a personalised approach to best suit the unique needs of our customers.
Everyone here at Promarine Finance is wishing you a happy Easter, please note that our team will be on a break from Good Friday to Easter Monday.
If you’re ready to kickstart your marine finance journey, utilise our convenient calculator tool to get your boating journey started
Last month, I was lucky enough to take part in the Aegean 600 Sailing Race, sailing on our boat, ‘Quick Decision’. Plans for us to enter the race began before the boat was purchased in March 2020 — just as the UK was sent into lockdown due to Covid-19. Two years later, after restrictions had eased and lockdowns had been lifted, we entered and competed in the race as a crew of four, far from prepared for what we had signed up for.
By the 2023 race, Quick Decision had a full crew of six, featuring three original team members plus Jack Karger of Vagabonde Adventures as Co-Skipper. Prior to the start of the race, we delivered the boat to the starting point, entered the practice race, and passed scrutineering. With the assistance of Simon Forbes of MOCRA, the team reduced its handicap to be in line with the race’s two other Outremer 4X entrants. The MOCRA fleet consisted of three 4Xs — Quick Decision, Lynx and Fortunae, and a Trimaran Corsair 970 called Saygi.
The race began at 2.30 pm on Sunday 9 July — with our fleet following IRC1 and Maxi, which included the race winner, Leopard 3. On the first tack, Quick Decision’s port genoa barber hauler snapped, followed by the starboard side on the second tack. We rigged alternatives, but lost a little time to Lynx. By 3.46 pm, we hit the first wind hole, holding us back alongside Lynx — which amazingly managed to escape! We were left to wallow until 4.56 pm, when we were able to rejoin the pursuit — seven nautical miles behind Lynx.
We hit the next wind hole at 9.30pm, North of Adamantas, trapping several racers. Following helpful advice from our friend Captain Nathan Mills of Oceata prior to the race, Quick Decision managed to sneak through until the next wind hole between 2.10 – 3.20 am. From south of Adamantas, we fast reached Thira and Santorini in great conditions.
We then sailed south, holding our A2 to 17 knotts (kn) before being overpowered. Other boats including Phaedra managed to hold full sail and pull away. At 25 kn, we had three reefs in our main and launched the A5, hitting a top speed of 20.7 kn towards Kasos — the windy corner above Crete. We should have launched the A5 earlier.
By Tuesday evening, we began our windward slog heading NE towards Karpasos and Rhodes. Here, we experienced 30 kn wind gusts but managed to get by with J3 and three reefs in main. On this tack, we were losing position to the monohulls and should have increased sail sooner. We rounded Rhodes too far off the land and hit another dead spot but were able to quickly head to Kandelioussa.
By chance, I had made a log entry to learn that we were in exactly the same position as we were in 2022 — but a massive 12 hours ahead of ourselves! We were very happy about this.
After rounding Kandelioussa we began heading towards Kos early on Wednesday morning. At 3.50 am we had another dead stop only to see La Pescadora escape ahead of us. By 8.50 am, we once again found ourselves in the exactly the same position we had been in 2022 — this time, 39 hours ahead in spite of sailing 30 nm further!
Most of Wednesday was spent tacking upwind to Agathonisi, the top corner of the course. It was frustrating being overtaken by several monohulls that were able to sail closer to the wind. At 9.00 pm, we were able to bear away towards Mykonos. At this point in last year’s race, as a crew of 4 we were exhausted and we had decided not to finish (DNF), so this was a really significant moment for us.
At 10.00 pm, south of Ikaria, we hit another wind hole, eventually heading towards Mykonos Gate in 15 – 20 kn winds and hitting 12 kn boat speed and managed to overhaul some of the monohulls. The Mykonos Gate was gentle enough to clear on one tack but as feared we reached the mother of all wind holes at 6.30 am on Thursday. We’d sailed 675 nm of a 605 nm race and after 24 hours of drifting we discussed whether it was time to call it a day. We were so close to the end and had received lots of support from family, friends and Oceata so decided it was important to keep going!
From Mykonos, we drifted until 2.00 am on Friday for 40 nm. Then, we gained a little speed and wind. It was demoralising seeing so many monos pass us during this last 30 hours and it became an endurance test just to finish.
At 6.00 am, Oscar caught a Tunny Tuna, which was prepared for later celebrations ashore. We spent 8.00 – 10.00 am in another wind hole, hoping to catch Artemis before the finish line, but reached another dead stop at 12.20 pm. We were lucky to experience some wind across the final 100 metres and crossed the finish line with main and C3 at 2.04.39 pm on Friday 14 July. The finish picture says it all – pure elation and so pleased we decided to stick with it.
I have often read that messages of support are what make all the difference to long distance athletes and I can confirm that’s true after completing this year’s race during which we received fabulous support and encouragement. The team and I are so grateful. We had a great crew, fantastic camaraderie, and we very much hope to be a part of this amazing race next year!
We would also like to thank the organisers lead by Konstantinos and his team and highly recommend www.agean600.com to all sailors.
Join us at Britain’s biggest boating festival, Southampton International Boat Show, from Friday 15 September – Sunday 24 September 2023.
If you are planning to attend, don’t forget to visit stand E012 to speak to a member of the Promarine Finance team and discuss all things marine finance.
We’re proud of our simple, quick and flexible finance solutions for boat ownership and want to help as many people as possible get out on the water. In fact, we’ve helped more than 1,000 boaters do just that — from first time buyers to veteran boaters.
Come to our stand, chat with us, and we can discuss how best to get you started on your boat buying journey. Want to find out if you’re eligible for boat finance? Try our Boat Finance Calculator today.
It’s not too late to book your ticket to Southampton International Boat Show 2023! Take advantage of our exclusive discount code below.
Once the promo code has been activated, select the ‘Exhibitor Promotion’ dropdown to reveal the discounted ticket – this will be highlighted with a green border.
Select the number of tickets you would like to purchase, add them to your basket and complete the checkout process.
Promarine Finance is a leading provider of marine finance. To find out if you’re eligible, get a quotetoday.
