If you’ve ever fantasized about life aboard a superyacht or megayacht, are considering purchasing or chartering a large yacht, seeking work aboard as crew or just looking for services or accessories for your own boat of any size, the 10th annual YachtFest event will soon be setting sail at the Shelter Island Marina. The show runs from Thursday, Sept.17 through Saturday, Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the marina adjacent to the Island Palms Hotel at 2051 Shelter Island Drive. Despite the economic downturn, the maritime event is expected to be larger than ever, with at least 35 yachts ranging from a Elling 48-foot yacht to the 122-foot Shogun. All yachts on exhibit will be open for touring by ticket holders. Enthusiasts can step aboard each yacht and imagine how they would use and redecorate or remodel their own yachting toys.  Exhibiting on adjacent docks will be vendors who can help plan and fulfill remodels, including interior designers, experienced boatyards and related services. A superyacht is loosely defined as being more than 80 feet in length and a megayacht as extending over 200 feet. Yet the terms are often confused and used interchangeably, according to yacht designer and YachtFest board chair Doug Sharp. This year’s show will feature at least six yachts measuring over 100 feet and at least nine over 90 feet — the most ever, said Chuck Nichols, one of the founders of YachtFest. The yachts are all for sale or charter or are offered for fractional ownership. While most YachtFest vessels are over 70 feet, smaller boats that will be put on exhibit — like the Elling and a 50-foot Azimuth — must meet specific standards to participate. A vessel under 50 feet “needs to be new and interesting technology and a high-value vessel,” Nichols said. A “boutique” boat show designed to showcase San Diego as a yachting destination with the full range of specialized facilities and services required by yachts up to 400 feet, YachtFest draws about 3,000 to 4,000 guests each year. For a port that a few years ago barely registered on the radar screen of large-yacht owners seeking new and interesting ports of call, San Diego has come a long way. Recently, CNN proclaimed San Diego the “new superyacht capital,” a fact which excites YachtFest organizers, who started the show ten years ago to draw attention to San Diego as a destination for yachts travelling the West Coast. Previously, large-yacht owners tended to bypass San Diego on their passage between Mexico and the Pacific Northwest, said Diane Fraser, a charter broker and president of the San Diego office of Fraser Yachts Worldwide. Fraser is also a founding partner in YachtFest. Few super-/megayacht owners and captains realized that San Diego possesses the marine infrastructure, including boatyards and marina berths, to service superyachts. Far more large yachts are stationed on the East Coast of the U.S., where they can also explore the Caribbean and Bahamas. “The West coast has always been a secret, not known as a destination where yachts could come for yard work and other maintenance services,” Fraser said. “We’ve opened it up for charter now.  In the last year or so we’re seeing larger yachts coming here.” Yachting is also a significant business for San Diego, with huge potential for growth. Kate Pearson, vice president/business development for Knight & Carver Yacht Center and a founder of the San Diego Superyacht Association, said about 1,300 jobs directly support this industry. About 150 marina slips and eight Mediterranean mooring berths at the Embarcadero serve superyachts in San Diego. Shelter Island Marina has seen a 235 percent growth in large yacht business since 2000, Pearson said,. Each visit of a large yacht translates into an expenditure of about $1,000 per day for food, entertainment, hotel, car rentals and incidental repairs. Yet YachtFest is not just for dreamers who want to discover what the yachting lifestyle is all about, Fraser said. It’s also a show where deals are made. Fraser reports that her firm, which specializes in yachts over 80 feet, has always had a sale at YachtFest.  Charter managers come seeking new yachts to represent and book. Placement firms also connect captains and crew with new onboard positions. As such, YachtFest represents the intersection of business and pleasure in the yachting world. Tickets for YachtFest are $34 for general admission for one day or $48 for two days. A preferred-access badge with priority boarding is $64 for one day or $78 for two days. Guests can also check out the latest in design at YachtFest’s annual fashion show, which benefits the San Diego Armed Services YMCA, on Thurs., Sept. 17, with a reception at 4 p.m. The Saks Fifth Avenue fashion show follows at 5 p.m., also at the Shelter Island Marina. Tickets for the fashion show start at $35 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (858) 836-0133, or visit www.yachtfest.com.