Bridge Work Causes Event Cancellation

Construction projects result in cancellation of the Strictly Boaters Boat Show

The organizers and staff of the Strictly Boaters Boat Show are very disappointed to announce that the 2016 Show has been cancelled due to issues with local construction. While it had long been uncertain how the construction at the end of the Parkway would impact the Boat Show, the 2016 event was slated to proceed as normal.

Then, just last week the “other shoe” dropped when the Cape May County Engineer announced that yet another construction project was scheduled to commence at the end of March, and like the Parkway project, it too was scheduled to continue through the end of May. It immediately became obvious to the organizers that this new project would significantly impact the show since it involved repairs to the Schellengers Landing Bridge immediately adjacent to South Jersey Marina.

The project includes reducing traffic across the bridge from two lanes to just a single shared lane while the deck and steel supporting members are replaced. The area affected is Route 109 from 1st Avenue on the Landing to Union Street in the City of Cape May. According to the Engineer, traffic will be rerouted and controlled by detours, temporary signals and signs during construction, making access to the marina difficult at best.

After eight years, The Strictly Boaters Boat Show has established itself as a niche boat show that caters to authentic boat buyers. However, it was obvious that the combination of two major road projects bracketing the host marina would present an insurmountable obstacle to attendance and participation, while at the same time possibly jeopardizing the safety, convenience and comfort of our customers and exhibiting partners. Hence the decision to cancel the show.

According to Mark Allen, Show Manager, “Show contracts had been issued, slips assigned and the first direct mailing already gone out. The Strictly Boaters Boat Show was off and running, and we were looking forward to hosting the first in-water boat show since New Jersey reduced the sales tax on vessels to 3.5%.”

The Strictly Boaters Boat Show has always been scheduled during that narrow window of opportunity between the end of winter and the re-arrival of seasonal slip holders. Therefore, postponing and rescheduling the 2016 Show is simply not a plausible option.