All photos by Chantelle D’mello
For many, the 2014 Qatar International Boat Show, which opened earlier this week, looks like a scene from a movie. The event, which runs until Saturday night, has drawn the best in luxury marine vessels, equipment and gadgets to Doha, as a sneak peek into how the “other side” lives.
The show is free and open to the public and is set up at the Marina at Lusail City, past the Doha Golf Club.
Some 60 boats are docked at the port, many boasting built-in jacuzzis, cinemas, flat screen TVs, custom navigation systems, master bedrooms the size of landlocked living rooms – and living rooms the size of ballrooms.
Prices for the sailing boats and catamarans range from QR1.09 million to upwards of QR10 million. Most, once sold, will be customized according to the buyer’s specifications, event organizers said.
Attendees are welcome to browse the many booths that line the pier, some of which are selling fishing equipment, navigation systems and of course, boats. A booth at the entrance of the show also offers residents a close look at the primary engine that powers a boat.
For those who come hungry, restaurants like Sushi Minto, Paper Moon, and Apple A Day have set up stalls selling food.
Meanwhile, numerous companies are offering tours of their boats. While most of the yachts hail from Europe, offering subdued grandeur with plush leather, metal, and glass, more ostentatious models can be found toward the far end of the pier.
Emirates Waves for example, which is docked next to a refurbished traditional dhow (albeit with bedrooms, kitchens and dining halls), is a double-deckered marvel.
The boat boasts a velvet-lined cinema, two master bedrooms, color-coordinated children’s rooms, marble stairways, gilded bathrooms, two large kitchens, chandeliers, a massive majlis and an open air TV room on the lower deck.
Another, Damarak II, by French company Sunreef Yachts, comes with three bedrooms and bathrooms, a crew station, a large living room, three decks and a built-in jacuzzi.
According to organizers, the event has so far drawn some 1,000 visitors since it opened on Tuesday night. It will be open from 3pm to 9:30pm today and tomorrow, Nov. 15.
Do you plan to check it out? Thoughts?
