I know that the Annapolis Fall Sailboat Show is one of the biggest sailing shows in the United States, but I was wondering if the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show is worth attending, so I did some research and this is what I found.

So is the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show Worth Attending? The Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show is well worth attending if you are a sailing enthusiast, a beginner interested in learning about sailing or even if you just want to walk-on some of the new sailboat models. Read on to learn more about the Annapolis Spring Sailboat show and why it is worth attending and why I decided to attend this spring.

The Spring Annapolis Sailboat Show is Smaller than the Fall Show

You would think that being smaller than the fall sailboat show would be a negative and it might be for some people. However, even though the Spring show is smaller than the fall show, there are fewer people, fewer lines, fewer crowds so you have more access to the boats, courses and exhibits. The boats are less crowded, giving you more time to look around and really take in the sights, tips and information.

What One Sailing Forum Said about the Annapolis Sailboat Show

I read on one sailing forum written by a recent attendee to the fall show, that sometimes the fall show will have 30 (or more) people on a boat with hardly any room to move around, not to mention the constant waiting in lines. This is true for the sailboats and the exhibit hall, which can make it difficult to talk to sailboat representatives and exhibitors. The Spring show gives you more access to both the sailboats and the exhibits, and with less time spent in line you have more time to indulge in all things sailing!

The Spring Show has Cruisers University

Cruisers University is a four day information filled event at the Spring Sailboat Show offering seminars on all things helpful for sailors that want to start cruising full time. The seminars are taught by other full time cruisers and sailing experts, giving their first hand knowledge and experiences. Cruisers University is a four day event at the Spring Sailboat Show offering seminars on all things helpful for sailors that want to start cruising full time. The seminars are taught by other full time cruisers giving first hand knowledge and experience.

Cruisers University Intensive Seminars

Thinking of living full time on your sailboat or becoming a cruiser? Then you do not want to miss the two day intensive courses that are offered on Diesel Engine Maintenance, Marine Weather Forecasting and Women and Sailing. Part of the cruising lifestyle for many sailors includes keeping the sailboat in tip-top-shape while keeping expenses down.

Diesel Engine Maintenance (Intensive)

Knowing how to maintain the engines not only keeps them in excellent condition, but also saves money. The diesel engine program is one of the most popular and typically sells out early. If you are interested in learning about diesel engines, you need to sign up as soon as the course registration opens up.

How to Predict the Weather (Intensive)

Another very important aspect of sailing fulltime is understanding the weather. This two-day intensive course will help you to predict weather patterns to make your trips and passages more enjoyable, with help you to avoid storms and rough seas and unfriendly wind conditions. Many cruisers say that you need to be flexible to sail when there are good weather windows. This course helps you to determine when those weather patterns are favorable for sailing.

Women in Sailing (Intensive)

Finally, The women In Sailing class is an intensive two-day course by women who are cruising full time. One of the instructors, Behan Gifford (of Sailing Totem) is the author if the book Voyaging With Kids and has been living and cruising full time on their sailboat for more than ten years. Having a course for women by women not only help educate and inform future women cruisers, but also can help take some of the anxiety away. An educated (woman) sailor is a confident (woman) sailor.

Cruisers University Full Day Seminars

Full one day classes include Navigation, Sewing and Canvas Work and Boat Electrical Systems. These courses are very informational and require an entire day commitment.

Cruisers University Sailing Seminars List ; Spring Annapolis Sailboat Show

Shorter topics include Repair, Seminars like Amp It Up; all about solar and wind energy options. Here is a complete listing:

• Anchoring For a Good Night’s Sleep
• Bahamas Bound – Cruising the Abacos
• Cruising and Living in Hurricane Latitudes
• The Chesapeake to the Caribbean
• Cruising on a Budget; Silver, Gold Platinum
• Docking and Line Handling for Couples
• The Efficient Boat Fridge
• Electrical Systems – Understanding and Troubleshooting
• Great Products You Need to Know About
• Heavy Weather Sailing
• Maintaining Your Boat Above and Below the Waterline
• Maintaining Your Diesel Engine 101
• Moving Your Business Abroad
• Managing the ICW; North to South
• Offshore Energy Management & Design
• Off Shore Rigging and Sails – When Things Go Wrong
• OMG I Bought a Boat – Now What?
• Plugged In – Power Cord Safety
• Provisioning – From List to Last Bite
• Route Planning
• Safety at Sea
• Sail Trim and Performance Safety
• Sharing Your Adventure
• Splicing and Whipping
• Sharing Your Adventure – cruising through the lens of a blog, video or podcast
• Splicing and whipping (rigging)
• Staying Ship Shape – When Your Home Becomes Your Gym
• Storage Strategies When Your Boat is Your Home
• Storing Food Without Refrigeration
• The Art of Anchoring – Tackle, Tips and Tactics
• The Cruising Boat – The Five Step Plan to Purchasing It
• The Endless Fresh Water Supply
• Thunderstorm Primer – Weather in Motion
• Tool Time
• Top Newbie Cruising Mistakes
• Troubleshooting Basic
• Electrical Problems
• Watt’s Up – Electricity Simplified
• Weather 000
• Weather Apps to Follow
• What, Me Worry? Putting Cruising Fears to Rest

In Water Sailing Classes

If you want to learn to sail, what better than these hands on in water sailing classes. Start out with 45 minute classroom instruction and follow it up with 90 minutes of hands on in the water sailing instruction taught by experienced sailors from the American Sailing Association and SailTime on brand new Beneteua 22 or Catalina 22 sailboats. First Sail Workshops costs $65 which include the general admission to the sailboat show.

Free Sailing Seminars

In addition to the paid Cruisers University, there are several free sailing seminars with details announced at the show. The free sailing seminars are presented by the Chesapeake Bay Magazine.

First Sail Workshops

First Sail Workshops are offered four times each day and in conjunction with the in-the-water sailing courses.

A Large In-water Boat Show

If you are ready to sail this summer, you won’t want to miss this in-water sailboat show. Come see a variety of sailboats from numerous manufacturers in this in-water and on-land display. New and brokerage boats are available with catamarans (multi-hulls), monohulls, blue water sailboats, family cruisers and daysailors. It’s not as big as the fall show but still a very good selection and much smaller lines to see the boats than at the fall show (read more in my update below).

Exhibit Hall packed with every sailing product you can imagine

This is a great opportunity to visit the exhibit hall packed full of new and innovative products. See the latest navigational products, high tech equipment, gear, clothing, sailing apps, accessories, related sailing products. Other vendors are offering sailing related services like boat brokers, boat loans (lenders), boat insurance agents, sailboat charter services and more…

Entertainment

The Spring Annapolis Boat Show features live entertainment at the show at the Entertainment Plaza. Includes is free wine tastings, live music and excellent food. Hang out while you watch the regatta, relax and enjoy. If you don’t get your fill at the Sailboat Show, no worries. Annapolis will be packed full of sailing enthusiasts enjoying all of the restaurants and bars that it has to offer.

Update – My Opinion After Attending the 2019 Spring Sailboat Show

If you love sailing, then you won’t have to look far to find fellow diehards. Share your experiences and tall tales with fellow sailors. Enjoy drinking and tasting wine fellow sailors at one of the sailboat show sponsored events or at an establishment in quaint, Annapolis.

When we arrived on Friday afternoon, the show was closed because a thunderstorm had just blown through. The tide was high and some of the sidewalks near the docks were flooded. I must add that I had read in one of the sailing forums about flooding at previous Annapolis Sailboat Shows, but the docks have been raised so you can walk about without getting your feet wet. This is an upgrade that has just been made in recent years.

Annapolis is the sailing capital of the world, a great city full of history, beautiful colonial architecture and a wonderful vibe. The shops, bars and restaurants located at the docks provide plenty of entertainment and excellent food and drink options. The United States Naval Academy is located right downtown at the docks with cadets in uniform mixed in with preppy dressed locals, boat show attendees and other visitors. There was live entertainment on the street corner and lively crowds in the bars. I enjoyed Annapolis almost as much as the sailboat show (almost).

There were only a handful of catamarans at the Spring Sailboat Show and none of the catamaran manufacturers were in attendance. Dream Life Charters were there and had a couple of catamarans with them, but the Moorings and Sunsail were no-shows. There were a few more catamarans by local dealers and some individuals selling charters. There were a lot of monohulls there so if you are a monohull person, you will have plenty of boats to view.

I was disappointed by the vendors at the show. There were one or two local marine suppliers there, but a very poor showing by marine OEM’s. The vendor tents resembled more of a local home show than it did a boat show. Outside the tents there were some small sport cats and sailboats however.

All in all, if you love to sail, Annapolis is a wonderful setting to host a sailboat show. I can’t wait to go back for the fall show.

Related Topics

Is the Spring Miami Boat Show Worth Attending?

The Miami Boat Show takes place every March in Miami, Florida and is a great opportunity to get a sneak peak at some of the new sailboats on the market. It is a large show with a variety of motorboats and sailboats with a really nice exhibitor area demonstration new and innovative products and some really great services. The Miami Boat Show is definitely worth checking out.

Is the Fall Annapolis Sailboat Show Worth Attending?

The fall Annapolis Boat Show is the Grand Daddy of American Sailboat Shows. This in-water boat show features almost all of the major sailboat manufacturers. It is a huge show with lot’s of attendees and lot’s of exhibitors. There are many cruisers in attendance with many of the same courses offered by Cruisers University. So many cruisers are in attendance with their boats because they often sail north to avoid hurricane season, then stay to enjoy the summer in Maryland and up the east coast until it is safe once again to migrate south again before winter arrives. Therefore it is a big cruiser gathering and social time and it is definitely worth attending.