Annapolis Powerboat Show: More New Boats Than Ever in Same Terrific Spot. See Our Reviews of 23 of Them
By Peter A. Janssen
The United States Powerboat Show Annapolis is always a popular show – for a whole lot reasons. It’s fun, it’s easy to get to, and it’s easy to enjoy. And it’s in Annapolis, the hub of the Chesapeake, a cruising mecca with boatyards and marinas – and waterfront restaurants and bars – all around.
Centered around City Dock in the middle town, this year the show, the 46th annual, runs from Thursday, Oct. 12 through Sunday, Oct. 15, and has more new boats than ever before – 450 of them, in fact, ranging from 8 to 80 feet LOA. And this year many new boats will be introduced at the show, including the Hinckley Talaria 43 Flybridge, Helmsman Trawler 38E, and the Great Harbour TT 35. Other new boats include the Sabre 45 SE, Grand Banks 60, MJM 35z, Ranger Tugs 27, Nordhavn 59 CP, and Beneteau Swift Trawler 35.
There’s lots to do at the show itself, with dock after dock of new boats, plus tents full of displays of everything from new electronics to knife sharpeners. The show offers seminars from the Annapolis School of Seamanship, and has a Demo Dock, where show-goers can try out new boats, engines and stabilizing systems. And Pusser’s Painkiller Party Barge is always a popular destination throughout the show. (For a really fun – and different – view of life in Annapolis, see our Video of the Week farther down in this post.)
In conjunction with the show, there’s also the Brokerage Cove with used boats in St. Mary’s Cove on Spa Creek, just a five-minute walk from the show; if you want to relax, you can take a water taxi from the main show to the brokerage docks.
For me, the Annapolis show is a place to see new boats and accessories, to bask in history, and to take in some crab cakes at McGarvey’s or the Boatyard. I also try to work in my annual boat show breakfast at Chick & Ruth’s Delly on Main Street, just a few blocks up from the show, where everyone stands up and recites the Pledge of Allegiance at 8:30. For more about the show:
To see our reviews of 23 new boats at the show, read more:
http://cruisingodyssey.com/2017/10/05/annapolis-show-m…oats-than-ever-3/
