Look Who Was at the Annapolis Boat Show

Once again we crossed paths with many West Coast sailors during our annual pilgrimage to the Annapolis Sailboat Show. The show is a rendezvous of great people and great boats, at one of the best times of the year to be in Annapolis. This year the weather was exceptional.

We always run into a good number of our friends from our West Coast advertisers and others we see just once a year in Annapolis. We wandered the aisles for four days and still didn’t get a chance to talk with everyone. Of note once again was the huge presence of charter companies and sailing vacations. This included the large, multideck catamarans whose top floors appear to rival the height of the Salesforce Tower penthouse.

Most manufacturers were there with new boats on display, though the ever-present supply chain issues did delay some arrivals. Additionally, many manufacturers have large backlogs, with deliveries being quoted in late 2023, and as far out as 2026! There were lots of lithium batteries on display, with the adoption of this improving technology clearly overcoming any market hesitations.

We had a great visit with Ronnie Simpson aboard his new-to-him Open 50 Sparrow, which he is now prepping for the start of the Global Solo Challenge in 2023 from Spain. He took advantage of his outer-dock position to take a couple of demonstration sails with sponsors and Latitude 38 crewmember Nicki Bennett. Another sail took crew from the New York youth program Rocking the Boat.

We still love that it’s an all-sailboat show. The sailing culture and gear are there for the most addicted sailor and gadget geek to soak up and enjoy. It’s still a big-boat show, with large cats from Excess, HH, Lagoon, Leopard, Fountaine-Pajot and more. The monohull lineup was again impressive for anyone who really wants to survey the market to see what’s new. There were some cool small boats like a redesigned, new Sunfish knockoff called a Sol. Looks simple and fun, with a more comfortable, redesigned cockpit. The Melges 15 looked great, and the Tiwal inflatable sailboat from France was a fresh performance twist on compact, portable sailing dinghies.

Cool racing stuff like the Vakaros instruments and Cyclops load sensors were there for those looking for an edge. Experts were there from all companies. If you’re looking for answers you can find them in Annapolis. An expanding array of electric outboards were also there, including Torqeedo, ePropulsion, EP Carry and the new Temo.

There have been no shows in California since the pandemic, though the California Yacht Brokers Association recently announced they are restarting the Pacific Sail & Power Boat Show, currently scheduled for May 4-7, 2023, at Westpoint Marina in Redwood City. For sailors, there’s nothing like an all-sail show, but all shows are a good chance to reconnect with friends and see what’s new. We look forward to Annapolis every year, and will look forward to a local show in May next year.