Written in partnership with Annapolis Boat Shows: Making the Pilgrimage to the Annapolis Sailboat Show
July 24, 2025
With 150,000 miles of coastline and over two million lakes, there aren’t all that many reasons for a sailor to leave Canada. Of course, there’s the small matter of the weather. When taking your boat out feels less like leisure and more like an act of defiance, it becomes awfully tempting to make a break for the BVIs. The other worthy exception? The Annapolis Sailboat Show (October 9-12)—part Thanksgiving weekend escape, part sailing pilgrimage.
It’s possible to justify the trip for the spectacle alone. Annapolis may wear the title of “America’s sailing capital” year-round, but each October it’s transformed into a full-blown monument to wind power. More than 175 boats, 500 exhibitors, and two miles of floating docks are packed into the heart of downtown. Over just four days, some 50,000 sailors from around the globe pass through. It’s an unmatched opportunity to immerse yourself in the full breadth of the sailing world, all in one warm, walkable, waterfront setting.
A Global Get Together
At its heart, the Annapolis Sailboat Show is a reunion that brings together industry insiders, racers, cruisers, and boat-curious landlubbers alike. Walk the docks and you’ll hear French, German, Spanish, Afrikaans, and that special blend of English and frantic hand gestures used to excuse a botched docking maneuver. It’s a gathering of liveaboards swapping hurricane-season strategies, Great Lakes sailors trading anchorage tips, and newbies just trying to keep their pintles straight from their gudgeons.
For many, it’s a chance to reconnect with the wider sailing world and celebrate the close of the season. Unlike many boat shows, Annapolis doesn’t sprawl out in a convention center or sterile expo hall—it happens right on the water, with real boats in slips, a brackish breeze in the air, and conversations that stretch from cockpit to cocktail hour. Even if you arrive solo, you won’t stay that way. There’s a built-in camaraderie among blow boaters. Annapolis just makes it easier to find them.
Worth the Trip
Whether you’re dreaming of a new boat, chasing the latest gear, swapping stories over pints, or just stretching out the season a little longer, the Annapolis Sailboat Show offers a rare kind of magic. It’s where the global sailing community converges in one place, over one long weekend, in one unforgettable setting.
For Canadian sailors—whether you cruise the Rideau, race on the St. Lawrence, or trailer between prairie lakes—it’s not just weekend getaway. It’s a reminder that even when our boats are buried under tarps and snowdrifts, sailing season isn’t really over. It’s just relocated, temporarily, to Annapolis.
https://www.annapolisboatshows.com/tickets
