The Annapolis sailboat show gathers the found family of the cruising community. Connected through shared goals and experiences, we relish the opportunity to play with like-minded souls without the need to justify or explain ourselves. Fundamental goals and shared values are difficult for our land-linked family and friends to understand, making gatherings like this cathartic and joyful. Harry Potter fan? Think of this like the muggle/wizarding world distinction. Our worlds don't interact very well, and it's risky to try and explain the magical world we inhabit to someone on the outside! It might be Annapolis' famed Ego Alley we'll visit instead of Diagon Alley, and we'll pick Pusser's over The Leaky Cauldron – but newly minted and well salted alike take comfort among their own at the US Sailboat Show, taking place this week—October 10-14, 2019.
Jamie and I draw on this enthusiasm in the courses we teach: Friday through Sunday mornings, we'll be leading Take the Wheel, introducing newer sailors to the decision points around getting into sailing and buying their first boat. Hopefully many of these participants will be our future learners at Cruisers U seminars, the four-day series of premium courses for cruisers getting ready to go.
On show mornings, our Take the Wheel seminar is nearly full—but a few spots are left on Sunday morning.
During show afternoons, while Jamie scouts for gear and catches up with coaching clients, I'll join Lin Pardey and The Boat Galley's Carolyn Shearlock in their booth across from what has historically been the gin barge (rumor has it, it's rum this year? The sailors won't care!). I'll be there in the afternoons meeting the tribe – come pick up a copy of Voyaging with Kids, or, bring your own for a personalized inscription!
On Friday evening, we're co-hosting Let's Talk Sailing with the crews of Delos and 59 North, joined by friends Nick & Terysa from Ruby Rose and the awesome Sarah Curry from Hydrovane to hang out and take informal Q&A. This will be a blast!
Back in 2016, I wrote about meeting old friends for the first time in Annapolis. It was particularly true that year, sailing in for the first time on Totem —but it's a repeated theme as people we've been in touch with remotely finally become in-person friends. And every year, the circle of friends I can't wait to see again feels larger, our lives enriched for the connections made over our shared love of life on the water.
