A Splash of Colour at boot Düsseldorf 2026

At boot this year I was very much looking for things which brighten up a cold and wet January. The Boards hall was vibrant with plenty of activity going on the pool, including wing foil competition, and here pump foil racing. I loved the bright colours of everything and the energy, which was attracting a young audience into life on the water. The Sailing Yacht halls were dominated by white gelcoat, and looking at the bottom of hulls for the majority of the time didn't seem the best way to show them off. The Woy 26 daysailer really caught my eye. This beautiful wooden planing open dayboat looks like a lot of fun and received a Special Mention from the judges in the Best Specialist Yacht category of the European Yacht of the Year Awards. The boat combines a modern hull with traditional materials and had a striking finish, including a long carbon bowsprit for the asymmetric spinnaker. The combination of old and new here was stunning. The Allen range of fittings is colourful, and they're moving up the sizes, so we took a look at some of their new fittings, while the Baltic Safety Products in the clothing hall were also nice and bright. If you’re looking to race offshore on a budget, then the ALMA Class Globe 580 could be for you. Billed as a ‘one design’ ocean racing mini yacht, you can build the 5.8 metre long boat at home from a pre-cut CNC kit. 15 sailors chose to do exactly that and, racing solo, have completed 24,000 miles of the total 28,000 in the McIntyre Mini Globe Race. Barton had their nifty boom strut on a beautiful Tofinou 9.7 yacht, so I took a closer look at that, and the Clipper stand was nice and busy with people enquiring about the new RX 72 foot yacht, and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston delivered a great talk to a packed audience. The Bundeswehr had a camouflaged windsurfer, wing foil and yacht on show, while Sea Sure's new Rig Gauge Pro has been flying off the shelves, and they've also decided to go up the wire size range to cater for bigger yachts. Finally Birdyfish have brought out the IODA, which is a smaller version of their colourful foiling dinghy.