Forget the flowers blooming or the birds chirping—Local sailors will tell you that the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show is the true harbinger of spring. It tells us the Chesapeake Bay boating season really is near.
The Spring Sailboat Show begins this Friday at Annapolis City Dock, showing off new and used sailboats from catamarans to family cruisers and daysailers. Inflatables will be on display along with all sorts of sailing gear and equipment.
Here is a show map to find your way around.
A rich schedule of courses and free seminars will keep you busy throughout the weekend, and Chesapeake Bay Magazine is a proud show sponsor. Our own John Stefancik will hold a popular free seminar, Weekends on the Chesapeake, with great ideas for cruises to fun locales. Our sister company, the Annapolis School of Seamanship, will host instructional talks like How to Get Your Captain’s License and useful tips in Docking. These seminars are offered each day of the show, April 28-30.
A rotating Creator’s Panel is set for each afternoon. You can learn about life as an internet-famous sailing vlogger, hear from Captain Donald Lawson, the Baltimore man who’s preparing for a world record speed attempt for round-the-world sailing, and meet the first man to paddle the length of the Chesapeake Bay aboard a SUP.
Chris Hopkinson, the marathon paddler, will speak about efforts to turn the Bay into a National Park Service National Recreation Area. His annual Bay Paddle helps raise funds for this and other Bay protection efforts, which will also be highlighted at the show.
The Spring Sailboat Show will throw a party on Saturday evening to honor nonprofits who make it their mission to conserve the Chesapeake Bay. This Boaters for the Bay reception, sponsored by BioSafe is free with show admission. It runs from 5-6:30 p.m., featuring music, drinks and displays from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Conservancy and Coastal Conservation Association Maryland, plus a life Q&A with leaders of those organizations.
VIP sponsors LaVictoire Financial is also stepping up its environmental efforts at the show. The company will sponsor an Annapolis Green Naptown TAP, a refillable water stations for showgoers to fill their reusable water bottles while walking the docks. LaVictoire’s TAP will be along the docks for the Annapolis Boat Shows fall shows, too.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
