{"id":6054,"date":"2012-05-29T11:51:11","date_gmt":"2012-05-29T15:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scifisaturdaynight.com\/?p=6054"},"modified":"2012-05-29T11:51:12","modified_gmt":"2012-05-29T15:51:12","slug":"nauticon-launches-on-a-successful-maiden-voyage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/scifisaturdaynight.com\/?p=6054","title":{"rendered":"NAUTICON launches on a successful maiden voyage!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cA frat party for nerds\u201d --- Guy Noyes, NAUTICON attendee<\/p><\/div>\n

The weekend of May 18-20 saw the premiere of NAUTICON, a 21+ con held right on the tip of Cape Cod at the Provincetown Inn.\u00a0 Comics, cosplay, anime, sci-fi and fantasy all came together for a weekend of high-octane drinking and low-key debauchery.\u00a0 \u00a0Before I go any further, let\u2019s get this out of the way:\u00a0 I am friends with three NAUTICON staff members, and went to the show to support them, but I didn\u2019t know what to expect and frankly, I was worried that I\u2019d be giving the show a bad review.\u00a0 Brutal honesty can be awkward, and ruin a perfectly good friendship.\u00a0 However, I was pleasantly surprised by NAUTICON.\u00a0 Surprised?\u00a0 Hell, I had a blast<\/em>.\u00a0 I felt pumped and energized at con\u2019s end.\u00a0 You didn’t read that wrong. I felt like I had more<\/em> energy, and was more<\/em> alert and happy by the end of the show than when I got there.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve ever done the exhausted zombie shuffle on the last day of a con, you know how rare that is.<\/p>\n

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By midnight of the first night, I\u2019d co-hosted a panel on how to budget for a con, hit the dance floor (those of you who know me, stop laughing), and made a half dozen new friends in the gaming room.\u00a0 I also got to see a Flying!\u00a0 Inflatable!\u00a0 Motorized!\u00a0 Shark!\u00a0 gliding through the air, scaring the hell out of more than one attendee.\u00a0 You need<\/em> one of these.\u00a0 Somewhere in there, I missed the Single Malt Whiskey tasting event, but I\u2019m proud to say that I more than made up for it.\u00a0 2am found me standing on the beach under a crystal-clear night sky, trading Harlan Ellison stories with anime industry legend Jan Scott-Frazier while drinking \u201cMermaid Pee\u201d.\u00a0 I recommend that drink for anyone who needs to dissolve an engine block.<\/p>\n

Saturday — the big day.\u00a0 This being a 21+ crowd, nothing was scheduled until noon, giving early risers like myself a chance to hit the town and the beach and enjoy Provincetown before diving back into the fray.\u00a0 And what a fray!\u00a0 Panels, panels, panels!\u00a0 Anime running nonstop!\u00a0 And the variety of dealers — yes, you could buy the expected anime prints, but there were also leather masks for sale, steampunk gauntlets, graphic novels, and Victorian jewelry.\u00a0 Cosplayers roamed the halls while opposing bands of Jedi smacked the crap out of each other on the beach.\u00a0 I have it on good word that \u201cProper Porn for Distinguished Ladies\u201d was a\u2026 spirited\u2026 gathering, enjoyed by all who attended.\u00a0 I also missed the three hour harbor cruise, but caught the end of the Miss Nauticon pageant after my last two panels ended.<\/p>\n

The Only Con of the Con:\u00a0 by this point, I was famished<\/em>, but the hotel grill was now closed.\u00a0 Every time I tried to get out of the hotel to find a restaurant, I\u2019d be pulled into another room for another twenty minutes of >shudder< fun<\/em>.\u00a0 Finally, I started walking into town, but came right back — the parties out in the streets seemed a lot more dangerous than the ones at the con.\u00a0 Thank God for vending machines!<\/p>\n

The evening wrapped after midnight again, first Tom Weyland hosting a collection of downright filthy Pokemon outtakes (HILARIOUS), and then Jan Scott-Frazier talked about her career in the anime\/animation industry.\u00a0 I have to say that for me, Jan’s talk was the highlight of the weekend.\u00a0 She\u2019s led a fascinating life and isn\u2019t afraid to name names or bring up the darker parts of her past.\u00a0 Catch her show on the con trail — highly, highly recommended!<\/p>\n

Several people, guests and attendees alike, told me how much fun they were having and how great it was to have a show where you didn\u2019t have to watch your language.\u00a0 NAUTICON isn\u2019t a booze-up free-for-all; far from it!\u00a0 But it\u2019s tapped an undiscovered niche — adults being able to drink, curse and dress provocatively, but still act responsibly while they just plain RELAX.<\/p>\n

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