Boat Asia 2009 anchors at Marina at Keppel Bay

4:40 AM Fri 24 Apr 2009 GMT

'Boat Asia 09, Singapore. Marina at Keppel Bay. The very impressive Marina club house.' Guy Nowell &copy

Boat Asia 2009 kicked off with a bang at Marina at Keppel Bay yesterday, with a stellar line-up of boats on display.

Mr. Sven Bang Ullring, Independent Director, Keppel Corporation and Chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's Third Maritime and Research and Development Advisory Panel officiated the event. Together with Teo Soon Hoe, Senior Executive Director and Group Finance Director, Keppel Corporation Limited and Mr. Herman Ho, Managing Director, TMX Show Productions, Mr. Ullring marked the opening of Boat Asia 2009 with the sounding of the marine bell. Guests were then treated to a tour of Boat Asia as well as Asia Dive Expo, which is being held concurrently with Boat Asia at Marina at Keppel Bay this year.

Boat Asia 09, Singapore. Marina at Keppel Bay. Colour and movement, colour and movement... - Guy Nowell &copy

Visitors can also enjoy a range of exciting fringe activities which include scintillating belly dance and band performances, beer-drinking contests, an 'RC Sailing Competition' as well as sailing trials offered by Keppel Bay Sailing Academy and RSYC Sea Sports Academy.

Aside from an on-land display of speed boats, sailing yachts, and marine equipment and accessories, Boat Asia also showcases an on-water display of 43 luxury motor yachts, sail boats and catamarans from world-renowned boating brands such as Grand Banks, Ferretti, Fountaine Pajot, Leopard, Marquis and Riva amongst others.

Boat Asia 09, Singapore. Marina at Keppel Bay. Line 'em up. - Guy Nowell &copy

This year's Boat Asia show will also see the Asian and local debut of exciting new luxury boats. These include the innovative Four Winns SL262, the elegant Princess 42 Flybridge, and the contemporary Riviera 4400 Sports Yacht, which emerged as the '2008 Australian Boat of The Year'. The classy Fairline Targa 38, voted '2007 European Powerboat of the Year', will also be showcased at Boat Asia for the first time.

'Over the past few years, waterfront living has really caught on in Singapore and the region. Not only are people choosing to live closer to the water but many of them are also beginning to see the joys a nautical lifestyle can bring. Moreover, given the current economic climate, now is actually a very opportune time for first-time boating enthusiasts to buy their first boat and for those looking to upgrade to bigger and better boats. There's no better place than Boat Asia to get some good deals,' said Herman Ho, Managing Director, TMX Show Productions.

Boat Asia runs 23-26 April, from 1300-2100 hrs (Thursday - Saturday) and 1200-1900 hrs (Sunday)