I’ve been an exhibitor at both Newport and Annapolis over the past 20 years. Now that Newport is no long a strictly sail show, the power to sail ratio for boats and aftermarket gear has leaned decidedly towards power. Annapolis, however, is still the go to source for information on virtually any piece of sailing equipment and most every hardware manufacturer is on hand. Repower info? Yep. Refrigeration? Numerous dealers and installers. Tons of apparel, foul weather gear, galley ware, line, sailmakers, and much much more.
Suggestion: buy a multiple day ticket and target Thursday and Friday when crowds are smaller. Or do Sunday/Monday. Saturday is mobbed with people and its harder to talk to the manufacturer’s reps and get onto many of the boats. Monday is entertaining if you stay until the show closes, get a seat at Pusser’s Rum Bar overlooking the show and watch the boats leave and the docks get torn down while downing Painkillers. UBER back to the hotel or AirBnB. The sailboat industry doesn’t really have a trade show specific to builders and suppliers, so Annapolis does double duty as both a consumer and industry show where deals are made, people jump from company to company (free agency is alive and well in the marine industry) and companies debut new products in front of the largest sailing audience in North America. Get wild and stay out late and close McGarvey’s Pub on the square one night. It’s a right of passage for most and again, a taxi or UBER is recommended. With several list members sailing in the area, they will be better equipped to provide information on marinas and boatyards in the area. It seems that the vast majority of folks stopping over as they head south will get moorings or find anchorages and either dinghy or use launches to get to shore. Not sure how much transient dockage will be available during the show.. Enjoy! Chuck Gilchrest S/V Half Magic 1983 Landfall 35 Padanaram, MA From: Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2022 9:00 AM To: Stus-List <[email protected]> Cc: Della Barba, Joe <[email protected]> Subject: Stus-List Annapolis boat show vs Newport Annapolis is THE original in the water boat show. Besides for all the boats and the town, the other interesting thing is most of the southbound cruising fleet is held in the Chesapeake until November 1, so the boat show is kind of an informal get-together for them too. IMHO it is well worth doing. Start planning NOW, the places to stay downtown go quick. If you want to save some money and have a car, there are outlying interesting places to stay. Joe Coquina Kent Island MD (across the Bay from Annapolis) From: Bruno Lachance via CnC-List <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, May 16, 2022 9:48 PM To: Stus-List <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Cc: Bruno Lachance <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stus-List Annapolis boat show vs Newport Hey listers, Our beloved 33-2 has not splashed yet but we are already thinking about fall boat show season. In 2016 we visited the Newport boat show and are now thinking that it might be fun to plan a trip in October to the Annapolis boat show. But is it worth the trip compared to Newport? What we know: Actually there is not a lot of info about which boat will be displayed. It is about 5h further and it seems very expensive to find a place to stay, even a basic Airbnb. We are not looking to buy a boat anytime soon, so not targeting a particular brand or model, but would love to see an Arcona yacht. Mostly interested in visiting boats and nearby marinas if accessible. What are your experiences, insights? Is Annapolis worth it ? Thank you very much. Bruno Lachance Bécassine, 33-2 New-Richmond,Qc
