Set Sail for Spring Show
The Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show, April 26 to 28 at City Dock, features more than 70 boats in the water and on land. Most are ready to go for your sailing adventures this season. You can buy on the spot and probably get a good deal. Or you can shop, compare, dream and learn about charter and boat-sharing options.
You’ll see an impressive array of boats, ranging from small daysailers to catamarans and monohulls ready for crossing oceans. This year’s lineup includes several advanced luxury vessels, like the new Beneteau 46.1 and the new Bavaria C57, the largest model of Bavaria’s new performance cruisers line. To help you along, brokers and agents will be on hand with information about loans and insurance. If you already have a boat, you’ll be tempted by the latest equipment and accessories for safety and fun.
The show is set to educate as well as to entertain. For beginners, there’s a First Sail workshop with 45 minutes of classroom instruction followed by 90 minutes on the water with certified instructors. Cruisers University helps sailors get ready for bigger adventure, with more than 50 classes covering much you need to know about weather, navigation, diesel maintenance, provisioning and budgeting.
First Sail and Cruisers University require fees, but other seminars are free, including programs on the Annapolis-to-Bermuda Race, docking and line handling, the Clipper Around the World Race, and weekends on the Chesapeake.
There’ll be sailing to watch as well, as young sailors take to Annapolis harbor for the 5th annual Junior Keelboat Regatta, sponsored by J World and the Boat Show, Saturday noon to 3pm.
Entertainment by a long list of local bands will keep City Dock jumping, as will adult beverage tastings.
This year’s show coincides with the kickoff of the inaugural Boat Maryland Week.
“It’s a chance to acknowledge and celebrate the deeply-rooted maritime heritage of our state, the health and abundance of the Chesapeake Bay and it’s waterways, and, of course, our love of all things boating,” says Susan Zellers, executive director of the Marine Trades Association of Maryland.
“Over three percent of the state’s population owns a boat for recreational use,” she says, “and the economic impact of boating in Maryland is approximately $2.4 billion statewide.”
A kickoff party Friday April 26 at the Latitude 38 restaurant features entertainment by the Eastport Oyster Boys (6-10pm).
The Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show: FSa 10am-6pm, Su 10am-5pm, City Dock, $12 w/12 and under free. Park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium ($10) with a free shuttle to downtown: www.annapolisboatshows.com