We always ask this question at the end of a boat show, partly because we hate to see this awesome congregation of yachts disperse, but also because we’ll miss them all when they go. Luckily, though, they aren’t going far.

More than 45 percent are heading to a South Florida shipyard, mostly to sit for a few weeks until the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November when the owner plans to be aboard. The majority of these shipyards are the large type with a marina component.

An almost equal number are heading to a South Florida marina where they will sit to await word of a sale or until the winter holidays approach. Only one crew member we talked to said the yacht was heading to its homeport marina to get ready for a charter.

The remainder, a slight percentage, are heading to the dock behind the owner’s South Florida home.

A third of our respondents said their lay-over in Ft. Lauderdale would be brief; after a few weeks in the shipyard or marina, they would head off for some winter cruising to Key West, the Bahamas, Belize and beyond. 

But also interesting to note is that none were leaving South Florida right away.