BRIDGEPORT — Patrick Sikorski, executive director of the Greenwich-based 12 Meter Yacht Development Foundation, showcased the Lionheart, a racing boat he likened to a warship, in Bridgeport on Friday.
It can reach speeds of up to 25 knots. The boat was built to go fast, he says.
“It was designed for one purpose, speed and power. And that’s it,” Sikorski said.
Sikorski was in town Friday for the Steelpointe Yacht & Charter Show.
The show, now in its fourth year, is a weekend-long event where attendees can experience gigantic yachts with living quarters rivaling high-end hotel rooms, Land Rover cars vintage cars, speedboats, airplanes and live music. Attendees said the event shows the city is rebounding as it not only attracts newcomers to the area, but also reconnects with its past as a maritime and cultural haven.
Sikorski said the city had a historic reputation as a cultural magnet, having had theaters and ballets, but the city’s manufacturing base was carved out in the decades following World War II.
Now he said Bridgeport was approaching a golden age.
“I think this facility and the things that are happening here, and some of the traditions of its maritime history, I think Bridgeport is entering a renaissance,” he said.
Annie Venditti, who handles events and marketing for X Shore, an electric boat maker, said the event is different this year because it partners more closely with businesses in Bridgeport.
“This year, in particular, we brought in artists from Bridgeport, they are everywhere here. We added planes, we added helicopters, we had a whole electric function. Now there is a 100% electric yacht outside,” Venditti said.
The event is by invitation only. The boat Venditti mentioned has a retail price starting at $329,000.
Diane Smith, who lives in Derby, came to see the attractions on Friday and said it showed the improvements in the area.
“I think it’s amazing. I think they did a great job, you see the energy here that everyone appreciates. I think they’re actually trying to improve it, to bring people here…which is good for the area,” Smith said.
Smith said she got her invite from a BMW dealership and it was her first time at the show. The event is in its fourth year, but Adam Wood, a public relations representative for Steelpointe Harbor Marina, said it has become more popular, especially now that the state has reopened from the closures of the start of the pandemic. of COVID-19.
“So it started during the pandemic, and it was very limited, very few, because of the pandemic. A lot of precautions were taken. The difference between then and now is really the day and at night,” said Wood, who was once chief of staff to former mayor Bill Finch.
People, he said, came to pick up the yachts, but some might stay put.
“I think it’s bringing in so many new investment potentials and potential new residents, bringing them to our area and bringing them to Bridgeport and that’s really positive,” Wood said.
Wood said he has already received inquiries from visitors, regarding rents in the area and house prices. He said some visitors who asked about housing in the area usually didn’t come to Bridgeport, but were surprised at the ongoing development in the city.
Michael Palma, communications manager for Black Horse Garage, said the area was a far cry from what it was before the yacht show.
“I was in the city for a long time and a lot has changed here. It used to be just (a) run down, tattered and terrible neighborhood,” Palma said.
But gritty has been replaced by boat shoes, yachts large enough to include three tiers, and the world’s largest sailmaker. Bob Christoph, manager of Steelpointe Harbour, said North Sails is now a Bridgeport business after leaving Milford.
“We are delighted to have them here. They have about 63 employees that they brought to Bridgeport. And they have their headquarters here at the shipyard,” Christoph said.
At least one first-time visitor to Bridgeport said he thought Bridgeport was a posh town. Jonathan Kimble grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana but now lives in New Jersey.
“Being from Louisiana, I would probably say upscale and (a) nice, clean environment. It’s my first time. Well, I’m a southern guy, man. I don’t ride up north much,” Kimble said.
