Great News! The Annapolis Boat Show is on. The United States Sailboat Show is on despite Covid. When? Pencil in October 14 through to the 18th October. I have visited many times promoting many of my books, including The Marine Electrical and Electronics Bible, but sadly not this year. I will miss all the chats and questions from boaters and cruising yacht owners. I learn more than many of you. It's my favorite boat show.
Many of the worlds top yacht manufacturers will be in attendance at the Annapolis Boat Show and they will be afloat in the marine awaiting prospective buyers or tire kickers and ice cream lickers like myself. I love checking them out to observe and understand the latest design issues and developments, and all that innovation at every level. Like most years there will be new designs premiering at the show so will be good to check them out. Of course there are so many equipment manufacturers to visit and have conversations with. A lot of boating accessories to check out, services that are on offer including educational courses to get involved with.
Of course whether you own a boat or not then there will be many yacht charter operators to give you all the information about great charter destinations and options. If I was going, I would be interested in checking out the new Beneteau Oceanis 40.1, anything over that is way beyond my budget. Also exhibiting are Dehler, Tartan, Hanse, Catalina and one of my wish list boats Hallberg Rassy, Then there is Dufour and X Yachts, plus one of my favorites Island Packet Yachts. There are a raft of other larger yachts to also inspect.
Go to Annapolis Boat Show here. But for me the products and services are my principal attraction. To start with visit Sailrite Services, great sail repairs stuff. Then there is ACR Electronics. Visit B & G Navico for AIS information. Then there are a bunch of manufacturers for anchor and anchor handling equipment. Stop in at Cruising Solutions. I am always interested in Autopilots so Raymarine and several other exhibitors are worth having a chat with. I am into battery charging so absolutely visit Balmar and Hamilton Ferris at the Annapolis Boat Show.
Check in with the many battery people and get the latest on new battery technologies Go to Annapolis Boat Show here. Visit my favorite magazine Latitudes and Attitudes. Another call for me is the Garmin stall with their latest gear. Also visit Maptech and ICOM America. Also exhibiting are Indel Marine with really great refrigeration options from Isotherm, I have installed them on my own boats.
On the sail hardware side at the Annapolis Boat Show visit Harken, Bainbridge and Schaefer Marine, Selden, Spinlock and a lot more. Visit IMTRA who have some really great stuff including LED lighting options. I also like checking out ropes and cordage at Marlow and New England Ropes. At the Annapolis Boat Show start at the beginning and work your way through, you probably need more than a single day.
The Annapolis Boat Show is great at so many levels, entertaining and a great source for research and information gathering. I take a good bag to carry home all the freebies and brochures and spend a rainy day sifting through it all. You have many food options on site at the Annapolis Boat Show as well as wine tasting and live music events. I like to take a few days off when attending as Annapolis has so much to offer.
Don’t forget to try the local crab cakes, or the oysters, both my favorite foods. Whether its breakfast, lunch, dinner or a late night feed, there is something for everyone. There are many stores to visit and browse, places to have a beer or something stronger. Also don’t forget to visit the US Naval Academy. Check out the Annapolis Boat Show link directly to their website, you can check out who is coming, book your tickets and so on. Visit the Annapolis Boat Show. So much to see and so little time at the US Sailboat Show.