Marine Show Underway With 200 Boats in Tow

As many as 20,000 seafarers are expected to chart a course for Channel Islands Harbor through Sunday for the third annual Ventura County Boat Show, which began Thursday.

“We’ve got more boats in the water than we’ve ever had before,” said Ray Hebert, the show’s co-producer.

The 200 boats range from kayaks to sleek luxury craft.

The show also includes live entertainment, water sports equipment and interactive displays, such as marine touch tanks for young would-be mariners.

Still, the main focus is buying and selling boats, something Hebert expects to see plenty of this year because of the strong economy.

“People are looking at boats and buying boats much more than they were three or four years ago,” he said.

The show runs from noon to 7 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Marine Emporium Landing on the west side of the harbor off Harbor Boulevard.

Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and military personnel.

Children under 14 are admitted free.