Rocking the Docks at the Annapolis Boat Show
The Annapolis Boat Show never disappoints. It’s 100% sail and 100% fun. While you can find the answer to almost any question on the internet, you can’t find the people who know the answers. But you can find them at the show. Despite the utility of screens and keyboards, we still enjoy talking with people.
Over 50 multihulls were at the show, and it felt as if they covered a full acre of water. Cruising cats galore from Lagoon, Balance, Fountaine Pajot, Bali and more. Then there was the high-performance HH66, which looked as if it had trouble sitting still at the dock.
Fall weather in Annapolis is typically beautiful, though throughout the years of our annual pilgrimage, we’ve faced all kinds of weather. This year was no different. Thursday and Friday were gorgeous, comfortable, sunny days, while rain dominated Saturday afternoon and cleared out by Sunday.
Lots of boats and good weather brought out the crowds on both Thursday and Friday. Folks travel in from everywhere, so West Coast yacht brokers are busy with West Coast clients. Large cruising monohulls are also on display so you can head out to the docks and compare boats from Amel, Hallberg-Rassy, Swan, Hylas, Bluewater, Outbound, Passport and more.
Essentially every major brand brings practically the full lineup of boats to the show, with large selections from Beneteau, Jeanneau, Dufour, Hanse, Bavaria, Catalina and many more. The major theme appears to be “big” — how much volume you can create below for a given length, which is achieved with freeboard and beam. Most new boats are very wide, making for expansive deck space and plenty of space below.
Despite spending days at the show, we always end up having to leave before we can see everything there is to see. There are parties every night. At this, the 53rd annual Annapolis Boat Show, Sunsail was celebrating its 50-year anniversary, and Steve and Doris Colgate were celebrating the 60th anniversary of Offshore Sailing School.
The show was incredibly busy, and we heard of many boats selling, including the innovative new Jeanneau 55 that was making its debut at the show. The activity was inspiring, and we could sense a market shift from the pandemic’s feeding frenzy. Supply chain issues have improved, backlogs are reduced, and more boats are now available to display in boat shows and sell to the new boat buyer.
Here’s a fun video we took while we cruised around the show booths and saw the folding Flipper winch handle being demonstrated on top of one of the new Ronstan Orbit Winches.
We always return home energized by the creative new products on the market, and time spent reconnecting with the history, culture and friendships developed in sailing over years of visiting Annapolis. We plan to head back when the show returns on October 10, 2024.