Annapolis Boat Show

The show is next weekend in Maryland. I happen to be attending my 50th High School Reunion during that time in the samne area. I plan to attend both. Many of the boat shows around the country are not happening. Remember the days at Jack London Square? No more. Anywho, I hope to run into some of the Youtube stars as well as tour the new boats. My checkbook will be staying at home as I already have my forever boat! Yes — the **Annapolis Sailboat Show is a genuinely big deal**. If you're into sailing, you’re going to one of the marquee sailing events in the world, not merely a regional boat show. ### How big a deal is it? The fall **Annapolis Sailboat Show, October 15–18 this year**, traces its history to 1970, when Annapolis staged what is credited as the **first large in-water sailboat show**—meaning shoppers could actually climb aboard boats floating at the docks rather than inspect them sitting on land. That format subsequently became standard around the industry. [Visit Annapolis](https://www.visitannapolis.org/events/annual-events-and-festivals/us-boat-shows/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) And yes, it belongs in the conversation about America's biggest boat shows. Visit Annapolis describes the Annapolis shows collectively as the **largest in-water boat shows in the United States**, while the show's own materials have described the fall sail show as the **world's largest in-water sailing show**. [Visit Annapolis](https://www.visitannapolis.org/events/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) There are larger *general* boat shows in the U.S. when powerboats, yachts and overall attendance/exhibition space are counted—Miami and Fort Lauderdale are enormous, for example. But **for sailboats specifically, Annapolis is one of the premier events anywhere.** ### What makes Annapolis special The biggest difference is that it's an **actual sailors' show**. You'll find everything from performance boats and daysailers to serious bluewater cruising monohulls and increasingly enormous cruising catamarans. Manufacturers use Annapolis for North American debuts and sometimes world premieres. This year, for example, the show is advertising hundreds of boats, including premieres and new-to-show models. [Visit Annapolis](https://www.visitannapolis.org/events/annual-events-and-festivals/us-boat-shows/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) And you can **get aboard them**. That's a major part of the experience. You walk the temporary floating docks, step onto a boat, go below, sit at the nav station, poke your head into the engine compartment, compare cockpits and cabins, and then walk 50 feet and do exactly the same thing on a competing boat. If you've ever wondered what the practical difference is between a 40-foot production cruiser, a performance cruiser and a 45-foot catamaran, you'll understand it much better after an afternoon there. It's also much more than boats. There are sailmakers, electronics companies, rigging and hardware manufacturers, watermakers, dinghies, foul-weather gear, charter companies, sailing schools and cruising organizations. There are free seminars and hands-on programs, and Cruisers University alone offers more than 80 classes this year. [Visit Annapolis](https://www.visitannapolis.org/events/annual-events-and-festivals/us-boat-shows/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### And then there's Annapolis itself This is probably the part that makes the show feel unlike almost any other. It takes over **City Dock right in historic downtown Annapolis**. You're walking through this forest of masts and boats, then you come off the dock and you're immediately among old brick buildings, pubs and restaurants. Annapolis isn't simply hosting a sailing convention; sailing is deeply woven into the identity of the city. [Visit Annapolis](https://www.visitannapolis.org/plan/landmarks-and-neighborhoods/city-dock/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Consequently, a remarkable concentration of the sailing world shows up. Designers, builders, offshore cruisers, racers, YouTube sailing people, charter operators and ordinary sailors are all wandering around the same relatively compact waterfront. There's a little bit of a **"Comic-Con for sailors"** quality to it.

Whale Sinks Sailboat

A sperm whale cracked the hull of a yacht sailing in the remote South Pacific, forcing four sailors into a day-and-night fight for survival on the high seas. Crew members on the 52-foot Tai Tam told AFP on Thursday of their weekend encounter with a pod of sperm whales 250 nautical miles north of tiny Norfolk Island. "There was sort of a loud thud. The whole boat was pushed sideways," said Australian Jemma Cooper, who was thrown from the steering wheel by the force of the blow. Not knowing at first what had happened, she noticed a brown discoloration in the water and a sperm whale. "We looked out to our port side, and there were six to eight, a pod, of whales there. So then it became clear that that's what it was," she told AFP. Her husband Jeremy Cooper said he was sleeping below deck when the impact woke him. "It was pretty immediately evident it was very serious," he said. "All the steering gear was smashed on the starboard side, and there was a significant amount of water coming in," Jeremy told AFP. At 1 p.m. New Zealand time on Saturday — about 30 minutes after the whale collision — they activated an emergency beacon. "We declared a full mayday," said New Zealand crew member Terry Hetherington, adding they spent the next few hours bailing out as much water as they could. "Terrible ending" The Royal New Zealand Air Force flew a P-8A Poseidon patrol plane to the area to establish radio communications and coordinate the rescue, the military said in a news release, which included images of the rescue. French crew member Martin Jaffre said the whale collision left several gashes in the hull and cracked the fiberglass structure, as well as breaking the steering. "We could no longer steer the boat, and a boat with no steering quickly becomes a problem," he told AFP. Jaffre battled to slow the incoming water with anything to hand, including expansion foam, and swam below the boat to inspect the hull, his crewmates said. The sailors tried to stay aboard as long as possible, struggling to stop the engine getting clogged and bailing by hand. Late at night, they abandoned the boat and transferred to a life raft in calm seas and under a full moon. In the early hours of Sunday morning, they cut the tether to the yacht, fearing it might drag them down. Soon after, it slipped beneath the waves. A 470-foot container ship, the MV Sofrana Surville, rescued the sailors at 6 a.m. on Sunday, the New Zealand military said — about 18 hours after their encounter with the sperm whale. Even the rescue was scary as the giant ship approached their tiny life raft, recalled Jeremy Cooper. But within half an hour they had scaled a ladder to join their rescuers, have a cup of coffee and chat with the captain, he said, ruing the end of their Pacific holiday voyage. "It was wonderful, wonderful, and just a terrible, terrible ending — but luckily no loss of life." Adult male sperm whales measure between 50 and 60 feet. They are considered a "vulnerable" species by the nonprofit International Union for Conservation of Nature. Sperm whales reproduce once every five to seven years and have experienced significant population decline. The species is under threat from noise pollution, plastic consumption and ship strikes. The incident in New Zealand marks at least the second time in less than two months that a whale has sunk a boat. In July, a whale that surfaced for air slammed into a New Jersey fire department's boat, sinking the ship with firefighters on board. Someone on a personal watercraft nearby and a boater helped rescue the firefighters from the water.

To Haha or not to Haha

The water near the equator is nearing historic highs and the number of hurricanes coming from the south is alarming. Racheal is strengthening and could hit Cabo. There is another yet to be named storm forming. This will be my 10th Baja Haha. I plan to head to San Diego at the end of the month but before I jump on any boat I will access the situation and make the best decision possible. On a previous Haha, we ran into a hurricane and stopped in Turtle Bay for 2 extra days. It eventually turned west and the rally continued. The good news is we have access to the best meteorologists in the world. I pray for a safe Haha for all.