There be profits in secondhand boats

Ahoy, Kiwanis shipmates! The Kiwanis Club of Kristiansand, Norway, has a tale for ye—a tale of fundraising adventure and profits to make any pirate grin with envy.

The story began on a day in June when the Kristiansand Kiwanians hosted their annual “Secondhand Boat Fair.” Thirty-seven exhibitors, each representing maritime products or companies, erected stands along the pier where 93 used boats and 50 new boats floated ready for sale.

Shoppers were encouraged to take the crafts for test cruises around the harbor.

This past year, the club introduced a new feature to the event: a fair newspaper, which was distributed to 50,000 households. Affixed with the Kiwanis logo, the publication provided information about Kiwanis International, the Kristiansand club, and the Norden District, with references to their respective Web sites.

“The value of this good advertisement, in addition to the entertainment program on stages and at the sea, resulted in many visitors both Saturday and Sunday,” says 2004-05 club president Tom Nordby. “We estimated having almost 10,000 visitors during the fair’s two days.”

Sunday drew the larger crowd as a result of publication about a lottery, which promised a boat to the grand-prize winner. As expectant ticket buyers gathered for the drawing, the Kiwanis club first distributed checks to the many organizations it supported with the 77,000 Norwegian kroner raised during the previous year’s boat fair. “This way,” Tom says, “we manage to make our contributions and achievements as a human rights organization visible to the local population.”

So ends this ol’ salt’s saga. Now be off with ye.