If this week’s weather didn’t remind you it’s definitely fall, the arrival of the Annapolis Boat Shows will.
The U.S. Powerboat Show kicks off Thursday, Oct. 6, spanning the entire Annapolis City Dock area with a labyrinth of floating docks built piece by piece. It’s one of the nation’s largest in-water boat shows and Chesapeake Bay Magazine is a proud longtime media partner. For its 50th anniversary, the Powerboat Show has ramped up some of its most popular attractions and added new ones.
There are more free seminars being offered for 2022 than ever before. Our experts from Chesapeake Bay Magazine and our sister company, the Annapolis School of Seamanship, will hold talks with titles like Docking Destressed, Anchoring, Dock and Dine, and Modern Marine Navigation. See the schedule here.
Boat show organizers and partners are stepping up opportunities for anglers at this year’s show. At the FishTalk Fishing Spot (next to Pusser’s Caribbean Grille) , fishing gear and equipment from companies like Under Armour will be on sale. Anglers can learn about environmentally-minded practices from Coastal Conservation Association and the state’s Fish & Hunt Maryland campaign sheds light on the many fishing opportunities here at home.
One of the most fun features at the Fishing Spot is a virtual fishing simulator provided by Harvester, a new media platform for fishing, hunting, and shooting. In the simulator, kids of all ages can try reeling in a 200-lb. marlin, for example.
Harvester, with roots in Annapolis, is a member-based site that aims to be “one centralized place to unite the sporting industry,” where outdoorsmen and women can connect with each other and share information. When founder Ben Isenberg’s 10-year-old son took an interest in hunting, Isenberg, a non-hunter, discovered he couldn’t find all the resources in one place that they’d needed to get started.
“It’s a fragmented industry with fishing and hunting all separate,” Isenberg explains. So Harvester was created to curate content from across the industry, including videos and ideas on where to go hunting, fishing, or shooting. Harvester hopes to recruit new sportsmen and women with lots of how-to.
As Harvester debuts at the powerboat show, people who sign up as members will be entered to win one of two snakehead fishing trips: a bowfishing trip with Working Class Outdoorsmen or a kayak fishing trip with Reel All-American Fishing Ventures.
The Fishing Spot also includes some fun for kids, with a casting game where they can compete for prizes and Take Me Fishing will provide educational handouts and coloring activities promoting participation in recreational boating and fishing.
The U.S. Powerboat Show runs Thursday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 9. General admission is $22 when purchased ahead of time online. VIP tickets are also available. Click here for show tickets.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
