The builder's tent not only highlights US builders, but also those from around the world, such as this international display showing the contingent from countries such as Germany, Italy, New Zealand and yes, even French builders are here.

Wes Moore from FLIR showed the new First Mate line of hand-held maritime thermal night vision cameras. Unlike image intensified night vision binoculars and scopes, thermal night vision cameras from FLIR make pictures from heat, not light, so thermal night vision cameras like the First Mate can see clearly without any light at all.

Built to survive the handheld conditions, i.e. dropped, tossed and dunked, the First Mate is fully submersible, runs for over five hours on a single battery charge, and has more than 120 hours of standby battery life. Because the First Mate isn’t bolted to your boat, you can take it with you anywhere. Hhmmm... interesting tool at a bar? Might be a man's best friend.

One of the most fascinating and far reaching technologies we saw at the show, or any show for that matter, is an imaging software system developed by Servowatch that has the ability to track multiple objects. Unlike radar, this system uses a camera and proprietary software to target and track virtually anything, from passing boats, to stationary buoys, to children running around a playground. The system is so new, product images were not available yet. Pictured here is Servowatch president Steve Smith, V.P. Peter Milton and the manager of their yacht systems division, Dave Pickering.

Stidd supplied seats for weary patrons to take the load off...

... including a few from the YF crew. Pictured here (left to right) are YF's sr. writer Chuck Gnaegy, associate editor Dawn Hagan and YF's FLIBS photographer Tom Serio.

Not to toot our own horns, but I think we had the finest editorial team at the show. Kahlenberg agreed and gave us one big BWAAAAPP!

And now it's time to blow our horns for some of YF's favorite builders. Pictured here is Moonen Shipyard's managing director Emile Bilterijst, along with marketing director Heleen van Hout and a very special guest this year, Salim Erdem; otherwise known as YF's "Nilo". Pictured below is Robert Drontmann, heading up brokerage for Moonen.

Moonen brought the mini-me version of their 97' motoryacht, "Darcea" and "Sofia II". YF will have a full review of Moonen's largest build to date, the '124 trideck as soon as photography is complete.

As long as we're on the subject of models, let's get to some monsters! Oceanco brought an entire fleet from the future. The models were large enough to take slip space on the face dock. The first is the Igor Lobanov designed, 85-meter project Y708...

If the lines look familiar on this model, they should. This is the new 110-meter design by Nuvolari & Lenard, the dynamic duo behind previous Y700-coded yachts from Oceanco such as "Amevi" and "Alfa Nero".

One of Oceanco's newest designs is the plumb-bow, project PA076, a super-clean, smooth silhouette that is antenna and radome-free...

Unfortunately Oceanco's Michele Flandin was not feeling well and could not attend FLIBS this year, so managing director Eel Kant and Marcel were here to heft heavy models. Feel better soon Michele!

Only slightly larger than Oceanco's models, except this one is made to sink, this is the Triton personal submarine, one of the many toys in the chest of Trinity's "Mine Games"...

And the man behind the Triton project, none-other-than Brownie's 3rd Lung CEO Robert Carmichael, which gives this sub instant pedigree.