Our last boat show: Oct 2009, meeting MC for serious purchase discussions

Rainy days are useful for catching up on reading, baking and warming up with hot beverages. We carry several Embassy Cruising Guides on board and while somewhat outdated, they provide colorful aerial photos along with interesting background info on places to visit. The Main Ingredient made available free copies of Bay Weekly and Spinsheet’s October U.S Sailboat show-themed issue. I’ll share a handful of tidbits with you and if you get bored, well just hope our weather improves real soon!

Chesapeake Bay by the Numbers: 200- length in miles; 35- widest part of the Bay near the Potomac; 11,684-miles of shoreline; 15- trillions of gallons of water held by the Bay (add another billion for the torrential rain over the past 4 days) ; 21- average depth in feet; 3,000- number of migratory and resident wildlife species; 350 species of fish.

Pride of Baltimore’s Homecoming; the rest of the story. She was heading back from the Great Lakes when we saw her. She anchored for the night in the Delaware’s big ship waiting area then made her way up the river, through the C&D and into Baltimore last Saturday during the 47^th Annual Fells Point Fun Festival, with “canons blazing” as she docked at noontime.

My reading confirmed that I am definitely not a salty sailor because included in the list of “things sailors never say” were thoughts I have indeed vocalized. For example, “we have plenty of ice.”  Or “It’s pretty windy; I think we’ll stay put today.”  Oh well, always a chance I’ll do better in my next life!

Now, how about a trip down Ego Alley or watching the big switcheroo?  What, not familiar with boat show lingo? Let me enlighten you- assuming you are still reading this meandering post. When the U.S. Powerboat Show ended on Oct 6, it was followed by a massive endeavor to change over to the Sailboat Show. At 5pm the powers make a quick departure to make way for the sails. Docks get re-configured and at 7pm a 90-ft long by 38-ft wide catamaran would back into Ego Alley, followed by other big cats. Naturally this event is accompanied by a changeover party!

To prepare for the two shows, a crew of 150 assemble what looks like a city on the water, supported by 58 temporary newly driven pilings, 350 tents, 600 wooden floor sections covering an acre of land and six miles of wire for electrical power to land and sea. The show covers roughly five acres, with up to 360 boats in each show, not to mention exhibitors of nearly every known type of boating equipment, gadget and apparel. Nearly 100,000 boaters will walk through the gates of the two shows combined. What a blast! Since 1972 the two shows have combined to make Annapolis, without a doubt, the Boating Capital of the World.

Would we attend the Sailboat Show for the fourth time? This wimpy sailor will be consulting her weather-wise crystal ball hoping to leave foul-weather gear and heavy parka at home.