Item idea: Spending time on boats and yachts
 Moving out! Sailing yachts from Miami to Fort Lauderdale pre-sunrise. | One of the great things about my job is the people I get to meet.While working an auction in Miami, I sold an item which involved an afternoon on a private yacht. One of the patrons attending invited me to join the crew in moving some yachts from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. The boats had been shown in the Miami Boat Show and needed to be piloted back up the intercoastal waterway. We left before sunrise, arrived in Fort Lauderdale a few hours later, and had a yummy Thai lunch. What a nice way to spend the morning! Boating activities are a good live or silent auction item, although I typically sell them in the live auction. |
 Heading up the intercoastal waterway enroute to Fort Lauderdale. | Regardless of whether you live near an ocean, lake, reservoir, or river, there is likely someone in your community who has a boat. Think about how you might incorporate a boating item into your auction fundraiser.To help get your creativity flowing, here are three auction items (edited for space) I’ve sold recently which involved boating: Private Cruise to Eclectic Stiltsville for 6 people (in Miami, FL): Take a 33′ Gradywhite out to Stiltsville and enjoy a catered lunch in one of the seven remaining homes known from the days of Al Capone. These homes are literally built on stilts in shallow water in Biscayne National Park, one mile from shore. Fish, swim, snorkel, and party the day away while getting to experience a home with a vivid past. |
Murder on the High Seas (in Norfolk, VA): Set sail from Virginia Beach aboard a 68′ yacht. During the 4-hour evening excursion, four couples will investigate Archibald Frath’s murder in this murder mystery game. Enjoy cocktails as the plot unfolds, dinner in a private room at a local waterfront restaurant while the boat is docked, and sip on dinner drinks aboard the boat afterwards when the murder mystery is solved.
A Day on the Bay (in Washington, DC): Join our favorite conductor of the chorus and her friends aboard this 46′ yacht. Drop anchor in a secluded cove for a gourmet meal with wine. Good for 8 adults.
I sell tons of boating auction packages, and they are always popular! Sometimes they are fishing packages; other times it’s simply time spent on the water. If you haven’t investigated this option for your own charity auction, I urge you to add a boating-related auction package to your targeted solicitation list.
(c) 2009 Red Apple Auctions LLC
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