boot Düsseldorf 2024 was a blast!

We never imagined this amount of positivity from participating in the boot Düsseldorf boat show. It was the first time Aries Vane Gear had a dedicated stand. And it has been years since we were present at the boat show. We felt the time was right to go back and let people know that the Aries is still alive and kicking (or swinging?).

We’ve made a big effort to make the stand stand out. We had old parts on display, new parts for sale and three units to show how it all works. One of them was close to 50 years old. Our stand featured an Aries time line, quotes from long distance sailors, and a tv with short clips from different sailors and a great explanatory video by Matt and Amy from Sailing Yacht Florence, who sail with a 40+ year old unit and make great video’s on YouTube. Check out their channel!

“That thing saved my life!”

It was on Monday when man walked by our stand with his friends. He saw the Aries and said “That thing saved my life,” and he walked on. Truly mind blowing words! Twice people started crying tears of joy when they saw the Aries in the pathway of Hall 10. “That was the most important thing on my boat,” an elderly German sailor said softly. He did many Atlantic crossings and the Aries was always there for him. Hesitatingly he confessed that he didn’t sail anymore but was now active with a motor boat. It’s these beautiful stories that make us immensely proud and motivated.

Meeting heroes

The boot show in Düsseldorf is visited by a lot of well known names in the ocean sailing business. We’ve met with Golden Globe Sailors Pat Lawless (who is very happy with his Aries), Kirsten Neuschäfer (who won the last edition!) and Uku Randmaa (who came in first in the 2018 edition), Marcus Bulgrin (who sails amazing distances with his Monsun 31), Erik Aanderaa (who has a fantastic YouTube-channel) and Dick Koopmans Jr (the famour Dutch yacht designer), and many other great sailors.

Nine days of inspiration, lovely conversations, discussions, explanations, networking, deals, laughter, tears of joy, languages, music, and overall just positive vibes. We’ve got a ton of compliments regarding our stand and it was a pleasure meeting all these sailors and discussing long distance cruising and racing.

Thank you

Thank you for visiting our stand and sharing your stories with us and asking all the right questions. We’d love to hear from you again. If you have any more questions after your visit, or just wish to talk to us some more, please feel free to get in touch!

PS: Soon the hoodies and T-shirts will be available on the website too!