Dusseldorf.
After a three-year break, the “boot” anchors again in Düsseldorf. At the water sports fair, there are various hands-on activities.
Water sports fans have been stranded for three years. The corona pandemic hit the “boot” trade fair particularly hard – after all, it traditionally takes place in the virus-heavy winter months.
In 16 days, however, around 1500 exhibitors will be on board again when the world’s largest water sports fair opens its hatches after the break. From January 21st to 29th, luxury yachts can be admired, diving equipment can be tested and a wide variety of travel destinations for water lovers can be explored.
16 halls full of water sports
There is always enough space for the big boats, long pools and countless stalls. The “boot” spreads over 16 exhibition halls. In terms of area, this would correspond to the size of 31 football pitches, the organizers calculate on the homepage. And because Corona has still not been eradicated, high-performance particle filters, so-called HEPA filters, are said to fish 99.9 percent of the viruses out of the air. “The ‘boot Düsseldorf’ has been sorely missed in the industry and in the scene in the past three years. It’s all the nicer that we’re back in the market with our old size and strength and can give the usual impetus again,” says “boot” Director Petros Michelidakis.
This also means that exhibitors from all over the world travel to the city on the Rhine – from A for Australia to Z for Cyprus. Diving centers from Curaçao, Mauritius, Oman and Palau, an archipelago in the western Pacific belonging to Micronesia, present their exotic underwater worlds. However, the pros are already diving at the trade fair – in the new glass diving tower in Hall 12. Graceful and weightless is the “Mermaiding” in the same hall. After a detailed introduction, interested mermaids and men with monofins go into the diving pool. The offer is aimed at adults and children from the age of eight with a bronze swimming badge.
Daring cruises
Those who prefer to glide over the waves will find what they are looking for in Hall 14, among other places. In the “World of Paddling” canoe fans can do their rounds on a 90-metre-long river and in front of an idyllic mountain backdrop and forget the hustle and bustle of the trade fair around them for a moment. A few meters further, trade fair visitors are whisked away into the seemingly long-gone world of wooden boats, the first sleek little motor boats and sloops.
The “Sailing Center” in Hall 15 is also about starboard and port. Newcomers can, equipped with virtual reality glasses, take the wheel of the motorboat simulator. In addition, the stars of the international sailing scene gather in the hall and report on trips on the seven seas. Young sailors can even put their hands on the tiller and work on jibing and tacking with sailing instructor Silke Krüger in the “Sailing Pool”.
Various pools for surfers, wakeboarders & Co.
Such a pool – only in an “XXL” variant – is also available in Hall 17. The “Beach World” with its South Seas atmosphere is one of the trade fair’s trademarks. Around the pool, international market leaders from the surfing scene are on hand to offer visitors advice and support.
A special feature: The 65 meter long pool was lowered for the still young “Wing Foil” sport. After all, the board that athletes use to glide across the water does not lie directly on the water surface, but floats above it at a considerable distance. The feeling of flying is made possible by a so-called foil, which protrudes vertically from the underside of the board into the water like a kind of mast and provides lift with small wings. That’s why the “wingfoilers” need significantly more space at the bottom.
Superyachts for the big purse
Hall 6, on the other hand, is less sporty but all the more luxurious. The yachts and boats for the big purse are always a real visitor magnet at the fair, with a size between 20 and 35 meters you can’t really miss them. With a bit of luck – and protective covers over the sole – one or the other superyacht can also be explored.
Whether it’s indulging in luxury, the first dive as a mermaid or a virtual tour with a motorboat: “boot” is back with a wide range of products from the Corona-related slumber.
Information about the fair
“boat”: 21.-29.1., daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., fair, Stockumer Kirchstr. 61, Dusseldorf.
day tickets: adults €19 (reduced €12), children (7-12 years) €7. Day ticket 2-6 p.m. €10, 2-day ticket €33 via www.boot.de
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