Chuck, I work for a company that sells product to Defender. They are having their sale this year but the physical store will not be open and the sale will be strictly an online sale. However it will be held over a much longer period of time from March 18-28.
While I’m sure vendor fulfillment issues may in part be driving some of the reasoning to hold an online sale, if you’ve ever participated in the show in the past, the “in-person” component would be impossible to allow for social distancing given the volume of customers and the size limits offered in their facility. It’s a shame because I’ve worked at the warehouse sale every year for the past 20 years (with the exception of last year when it too went online) and I always enjoyed the customer interactions and cooperation between the different suppliers trying to meet the needs of boaters. Plus it was a great opportunity to go out and have a few drinks and dinner with your competitors after the show hours. Plus I always came home with a few goodies I never planned to buy but were just too good a deal to pass up. I’m hoping that will be different next year. Chuck Gilchrest S/V Half Magic 1983 Landfall 35 Padanaram, MA
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