Hurrah! After just two full seasons trading, Boatshed Port Solent has cracked the £1 million sales barrier! I’m sure many Boatshed offices have passed this mark long since, but it still means a great deal to me, and I will be celebrating every day at the PSP Southampton International Boat Show. Come along to our stand (B053) just by the footbridge that crosses to the marina area at five o’clock each day and have yourself a glass of fizz, courtesy of Boatshed.com and me, Boatshed Port Solent owner Ian Dawes.

Reflecting on the past couple of years, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that when I sold my Ford Dealership and moved into yacht brokerage I made the right decision. I have met so many great people, and made so many new friends, that I wonder how I managed without my new “family!”

What about some of the boats? Well the least expensive was a little project boat, which I sold to help my very good friends at Portsmouth Harbour Cruising Club, who have been very good to me, they rallied round and supported me when I first started out; she went up to Newcastle and cost the princely sum of £1000. Not a great deal of money, but it all counted towards the first million! Then at the other end of the scale for example, there was a Hardy Commodore which sold for £100,000 - that one stands out for me because I then went on to sell a chain of boats that spun off that one transaction, the cycle ending when we exported a Bayliner 2855 (£45k) to Norway on a truck from Port Solent. That was my first involvement in selling to an overseas client, and I have to say PSP were brilliant!

How has the business changed? Well we have expanded down into Southsea and Eastney, where this summer has been great, we delivered 7 boats in July, ranging from a Beneteau Oceanis at £55,000 to a little old Halcyon 27 project boat at £4000 – guess which yacht had the most character! I’ll remember that July for a long time – I had paperwork coming out of my ears and I was up and down between Port Solent and Southsea like a fiddler’s elbow.

And next year? Well let’s get on the way to the next £1 million – you can help there - by giving us the opportunity to sell your boat. Remember we do not have exclusive agreements, so you have nothing to tie you down, and here at Boatshed Port Solent all our boats will be uploaded not only on to our own sites, but on to Apollo Duck, The Yacht Market, Boat and Outboards, Boatshop24 and a fair few others. Come and see us at SIBS – it may be the best thing you do at the show! I love this job, and my enthusiasm for the people and the boats is as strong as it was the day I started, I hope you’ll visit; I look forward to meeting you.