And while the RIBEX organisers say the show will stay in Cowes for next year after a vote among exhibitors at this year's show and in spite of a mainland marina having apparently bid for the show, the future of the Sportsboat & RIB Show seems less certain.

Both MDL and show media partners CSL say they have no idea why the crowds failed to turn up. Promotion had been about the same as previous years and the show drew 8,000 people last year.

But this year the place was almost deserted and the exhibitors very upset. Some extremely so…

Dean Smith of MDL told BB: ‘We’re are not boat show organisers, we are marina operators and we don’t know why the crowds failed to show.’ However, he did say MDL will be meeting with the exhibitors to discuss the future of the show.

‘We have a lot of sites along the south coast,’ he told us, ‘and it may be we need to move the show to another site.’