Among those heroes will be current America`s Cup champion Russell Coutts. Coutts` victory as skipper of the Swiss Alinghi syndicate this winter in New Zealand was his third America`s Cup victory. But the second he crossed the finish line, Coutts wracked up more than three Cup wins. He became the skipper with the strongest winning record in the 152-year history of the America`s Cup and, at 41, a legend in the sailing world.

"We are extremely excited to have Russell Coutts join us at SAIL EXPO," said Scot West, Executive Director of show producer Sail America. "It`s one thing to read about your heroes in the press and watch them on television. It`s another thing to meet them face to face. For young sailors--for adults, for that matter--this is something they`ll remember for a long time."

Coutts is only one in a growing list of sailors bringing their star power to this new show. World cruiser Bernadette Bernon will come home to the United States for the event. The former editor of Cruising World magazine, Bernon had written about and edited stories of sailors finding adventure in far-flung waters for years--until she decided to become one of those sailors herself. Bernon and her husband Douglas have since garnered a strong following through the logs of their voyage on a 39-footer called Ithaka (at www.cruisingworld.com), and they will be at SAIL EXPO for a rare opportunity to meet with those who harbor similar dreams of roaming the world`s oceans.

Seminars with leading experts are a staple at all shows produced by Sail America. But for NY/NJ SAIL EXPO, the seminar offerings have been organized into an "all-star" lineup, including sessions that have proven most popular at other Sail America shows run throughout the country over the past decade.

Among the experts will be world-class sailor and ESPN analyst Gary Jobson, who will bring sailors inside the world of professional sailing; members of the Air National Guard, who will tell harrowing tales of disaster at sea to educate sailors in the practice of safety; and well-respected cruiser Nigel Calder, a contributing editor to SAIL magazine who has sailed extensively with his family on a 38-footer and recently authored a cruising guide to Cuba. Sessions have been scheduled by theme--such as Learn to Sail, Adventure, and Racing & Technique--so showgoers with those interests can plan their schedules.

NY/NJ SAIL EXPO takes place in a metropolitan region densely populated with sailboat owners and sailors: if you draw a 50-mile circle around Liberty Landing Marina, you will encircle a region with the highest number of registered sailboats in the country. Still, according to Scot West, there is much hard work being done to draw those sailors to this first-time event.

"We`re bringing a new show to the nation`s most concentrated region of sailboats and sailors