It felt more like mid-summer at City Dock, but the hundreds of sailboats, the huge white tents, and the thousands of people spending millions of dollars proved that it was in fact early October. For 48 years the sailing industry has come to Annapolis from around the globe to show off their boats, equipment, sails, rigging, and accessories to an international market at the United States Sailboat Show. This year proved to be one of the best in the show’s history with the largest temporary sailboat marina ever, land and tent spaces bulging at the seams, and consumer spending nearing an all-time high. The weather was hot and so were boat sales.
Of special note in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Annapolis Boat Shows partnered with Pusser’s Caribbean Grille and Annapolis Waterfront Hotel to host a hurricane relief fundraiser. The event drew more than 350 donors and kicked off a two-week fundraising campaign by many in the marine industry. Thanks to the generous support of more than two-dozen exhibitors, like-minded Annapolis businesses, and hundreds of boaters, “Hands Across the Transom Hurricane Relief” and related in-show fundraising contributed $240,000.00 to date. The campaign continued through the Powerboat Show.