Thousands of the South's yachting and boating enthusiasts will be casting off for a new season with the opening of the London Boat Show next week.

Winter may be here but already sailing enthusiasts and the region's multi-million pound marine industry is setting a course for the time when the Hampshire coastline is once again packed with boats of every shape and size.

The South's reputation as the UK's mecca for all activities afloat is reflected in the number of local exhibitors at the Earls Court show.

Once again, boat builders, distributors, equipment suppliers, marinas and chandlers from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight make up the single biggest contingent of exhibitors at the world famous event.

Around 180,000 people are expected to pack the show, which will cost £5 million to stage, during its 11-day run in the capital.

Together with the Southampton Boat Show, always held every September, the London event is a major shop window for the hundreds of companies based in the South to display all their latest models and accessories to the booming leisure market.

Organisers of the show, which opens for a special preview day next Thursday, are confident that the 2001 show will beat the £80 million worth of business generated at this year's exhibition.

This year yachts, dinghies, motorcruisers, powerboats and jet-skis, to the most sophisticated navigation equipment, clothing and finance deals will all be on display at the show.

The smallest will be the six-foot long Barrow Boat dinghy, the 75-foot long Sunseeker Predator costing nearly one and a half million pounds promises to be the biggest and most expensive, while the cheapest is a £250 kayak.

The 47th show will feature 17 craft afloat in the central pool while 800 more will be on show around Earl's Court.

Every inch of display space has been completely snapped by 600 exhibitors filling the show to capacity.

Stand space at Earls Court is now at such a premium these days that organisers have announced their intention of switching the show to the brand new London docklands exhibition complex, ExCel in 2004.

It takes 16 days for the London Boat Show to be fully set up before the doors open to the public and another five days for all the stands to be dismantled.

The biggest boats are brought to London by water and after sailing up the Thames the craft are craned on to special transport vehicles and taken under police escort to Earl's Court.