Discover Boating Week kicks off

The Boating Industry Association (BIA) has announced that Discover Boating Week returns this Saturday October 15 to Sunday October 23 with the view to educating Australians on the benefits of getting into the recreational boating lifestyle.

At the same time, the inaugural Gone Fishing Day casts off on Sunday October 16, while Roads and Maritime has jumped aboard with Boating Safety Day at the same six locations across NSW that are staging fishing events.

All told, the collective scramble to celebrate our favourite pastimes of recreational boating and fishing makes sense. Australia has one million registered vessels and two million Aussies hold a boat drivers licence. Add in family and friends and one in five Australians each year will spend some time in a recreational boat.

There are also estimated to be 4-5 million recreational fishers in the
country, and at least 80 per cent of boat owners enjoy wetting a line. Part of the reason for that is that boating and fishing do not discriminate — there is something for everyone, irrespective of physical ability, sporting tastes or socio-economic position.

Research shows that the diversity of boating tastes crosses over from sporting related boating through to social boating.  Fishing, sailing, water-skiing, scuba diving and kayaking are very popular, with non-energy consuming boating such as cruising being popular with families and those in their later years.

DISCOVER BOATING WEEK
Those interested to find out more about the recreational boating lifestyle can visit MyBoatingLife.com.au or visit activities during the week.

Adelaide on Water Boat Show (October 15-16): is a great way to discover more about the lifestyle. Showcasing the latest in boating and fishing, the on-water show is known for its great deals, on-water activities, family entertainment and food and wine. The show is held at Marina Adelaide, admission is a gold coin donation to charity and the parking is free.

Offshore Superboat Championships (October 15): If speed runs high on your agenda, you can take the family down to the pits of Marmong Point Marina at Lake Macquarie for round four of the Offshore Superboat Championships this Saturday October 15. This high-adrenalin event will certainly be entertaining, but also highlight the beautiful waterways recreational boaters have available to them.

Gone Fishing Day (October 16): This inaugural national day of fishing celebration this Sunday (October 16) will be huge, with a program of events right across the country, as state fisheries agency, recreational fishing associations, lobby groups, tackle shops and the tackle industry cast their lines.

Gone Fishing Day will be holding its official national event opener on Sydney Harbour with Federal Fisheries Minister Anne Rustion, NSW State Fisheries Minister Niall Blair, and our National Gone Fishing Day Ambassador (and cricket legend) Mark Taylor.

State Governments in Victoria, WA and NSW have even removed the requirement of a recreational fishing license on Gone Fishing Day only to help everyone take part! For more information for a fishing event in your neighbourhood and to register see
gonefishingday.org. There's plenty of info at the www.facebook.com/gonefishingday/ page as well.