Getting a look at the big boats

Lolita Harper

The Lido Marina Village was a lively venue Saturday afternoon as

hundreds of people came from all over Southern California to admire,

tour and purchase luxury yachts during the Lido Yacht Expo, also

known as the “Big Boat Show.”

More than 250 boats were on display in the harbor, offering a wide

variety of boats to consider. There were no dry land displays, no

personal watercraft, no runabouts, no surfer boards -- only upscale

big boats, organizers said.

Also on display was a replica of the USS Arizona, the battleship

that was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Naval Recruiter

Andrew Scharnhorst was on site to offer a bit of history on both the

replica and the real battleship and answer any questions.

Haakon Ullrich, of Tustin, was fascinated by the 34-foot model

that was dwarfed by the enormous yachts surrounding it. The

4-year-old carefully studied the guns and waving flags on the

fiberglass reproduction.

“He is a boat freak,” his father said, noting that it was

inherited from Haakon’s grandfather, whom the toddler was named

after.

The elder Haakon was the reason the three generations of Ullrichs

were in Newport Beach. The grandfather, who is an avid boater, was

visiting from Norway and insisted they come to the show.

“We have boat shows in Norway but nothing like this,” Ullrich

said. “This one is amazing.”

The boat show crowd made the entire village a lively place to be

as dockside restaurants were packed with hungry patrons, shops were

brimming with potential buyers and other retailers peddled various

goods and services in makeshift booths outside of the actual show.

Once inside the show, attendees braved the rocking decks and made

their way through a maze of displays to view the many options. Some

were curious, others brought kids, the lucky ones were shopping.

The Bartter family was one of the lucky ones in the market for a

35-to 40-foot boat, matriarch Toni Bartter said.

“Bigger than that,” her husband Randy chimed in.

The family took a break from their hunting to take a peak at some

of the more luxurious boats, such as the Hartmann Palmer 92. The

91-foot yacht boasted six state rooms, seven bathrooms, separate crew

quarters, air conditioning, a washer and dryer, full bar, sun deck

complete with a barbeque and a beautifully decorated interior.

The living room area was modern with tile floors and silver

sculptures. The couches were adorned with rich, lavish throw pillows

and a marble chess set bedecked one of the end tables.

Luxurious could only begin to describe the floating mansion.

Brian Bartter, 9, was impressed.

“This is my favorite,” he said, as he headed downstairs to check

out the master suite.

“He wants to switch our house for this boat,” Randy Bartter said.

Why not? The asking price is only $3.8 million.