Can you believe we’ve been sailing most of our married life and never went to the Annapolis Boat show?! The Annapolis Sailboat show is known as the biggest and the best of U.S. sailboat shows so it was about time we get there.
To make it a full experience, we decided to apply to work at the boat shows. Tony was hired to help with the “land crew” and I was scheduled for “move-in” and “gate” jobs.
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Lodging
When I looked for lodging for our time in Annapolis, I thought we might have to cancel the whole trip. Yikes, the nearby lodging was out of our budget, but I dug a little deeper. I browsed for campgrounds thinking we might bring our little square drop camper. In the end, I found a monthly rate for a “rustic cabin” was the best deal. Our campground was 35 minutes from Annapolis so the drive would be manageable. We packed our CRV full of camping gear and were ready for our boat show adventure!
Exploring The Annapolis Area
We had a few days to settle into our rustic cabin and explore the area before we started our jobs with the boat shows. We scoped out downtown Annapolis and loved the cobblestone roads, historic buildings, and overall nautical feel. On my birthday, we found a small café that overlooked a marina and enjoyed a delicious home-cooked breakfast. What did I choose for my bday breakfast? Cinnamon roll pancake!
Nature
Driving or hiking, we think the area is a nature lover’s haven. There were plenty of parks and nature preserves for us to go hiking. We hiked in the forest, in wetlands, and along the beach. We especially enjoyed walking the boardwalks at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary.
Boat Show Setup
Our first days on the job were during move-in and setup for the power boat show. Tony was busy with the “land crew” setting up fences or barricades and delivering equipment to different areas of the show. As part of the “move-in” crew, I was often stationed at the main corner with a reflective vest on and radio in hand. I was one of many who would greet the cars, vans, trucks, and semis and direct them where to park or kindly ask them to wait until a parking spot was available. It is quite a process to coordinate all the vendors in and out to drop off their deliveries to display in their booths. Now mix in trucks bringing boats of many sizes and getting those in the correct location. It was fascinating to see all the movement and skilled drivers. Oh, and these first couple of days were rainy, cold, and windy. The show must go on!
Thankfully we had looked ahead at the weather forecast and went shopping for rain pants. Tony found a quality pair, but the best I could find was boys’ wind pants at Walmart. After getting chilled to the bone the first day working in the rain, I decided to wear my foul-weather bibs the next day. I was a little overdressed, but better to be on the warm side than to get chilled again.
Powerboat show
During the actual powerboat show, my job switched to working at the gate. I enjoyed all the interaction with visitors as we scanned tickets, stamped their hands for re-entry, and answered questions. During my work breaks, I wandered the show to check it all out and saw a line of people waiting to meet Captain Sandy of Below Decks. It was a short line, so I joined in to meet her also!
Between the powerboat show and the sailboat show, there are a few days of changeover. I was back on the street corner directing traffic and helping communicate who goes where. The power boats leave, some vendors leave, sailboat show vendors arrive and the sailboats start coming to dock. More days of amazing coordination of many moving parts on land and in the water! Being sailors, we loved seeing all the sailboats fill up the dock spaces and the mast flags flying in the sky!
Camaraderie and Teamwork
Tony & I loved meeting others on staff and hearing why they work at the show and about their backgrounds. Some are locals that come and work the show regularly and some were first-time like us. One couple decided to work the show as a way to learn about both power boating and sailboats as they decide what type of boating they want to pursue. Others have been boating for years and have fantastic stories of their travels to share as we worked side by side.
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up
One fun discovery was while working the gate with Brad on the opening day of the sailboat show. I scanned tickets and he stamped hands at a fast pace steady for almost two hours. As the pace slowed, we were able to introduce ourselves and our sailing backgrounds. Brad shared they had been to the Bahamas last spring so I quizzed him on when and which islands. We narrowed it down that we had both been to the Berries in late April. Suddenly, Brad burst out laughing while asking “were you the one who couldn’t get on your boat during low tide?!” “Yes!, that was me!” I replied. He remembered me wandering the docks to pass the time and striking up a conversation with them. From the Bahamas to the Annapolis boat show, you never know when you’ll meet up with a boating friend!
Another Bahamas Friend
Another friend we had met in the Bahamas was also at the Annapolis boat show, but I knew in advance about this fun meet-up. Denise and Steve came to Annapolis to attend the Cruisers University course on medicine at sea to further their seamanship training and skills. We had met them in Bimini at the beginning of our Bahamas trip and then shared some Exumas anchorages in the weeks ahead. It doesn’t take long for the bonds of friendship to form among cruisers out on the water and it’s always a special occasion to catch up in person.
Lin Pardey
In addition to working at the boat show, I also took a class from cruisers university. I requested a day off of work in order to attend Lin Pardey’s class on Writing, Blogging, and Videoblogging. Lin shared about writing and publishing from her personal experience with fun stories of her travels to highlight a point. For specialized topics such as drones, marketing, or youtube, she brought in various special guests to share their expertise. Lin presented all this information in a way that was not overwhelming by frequently reminding us of options to make storytelling work for our situation. I felt encouraged and especially appreciated her reminders to pace the work and enjoy our sailing trips! If you are interested in her online course, it is available for pre-order on her website or the sailing channel tv.
Camping and Working
After a few days of working the boat show from our rustic cabin, we made some adjustments to make “camping” go more smoothly while working long shifts in Annapolis. Stocking a few microwave meals helped make cooking and cleanup easier. And we switched to paper plates so we wouldn’t have to be outside in the dark washing dishes. We like a cup of coffee in the morning and usually use our Aeropress when camping. But it does take a few steps and adds a little cleanup which prompted us to try a new “camping product” we’ve had our eye on – Wildland Coffee in a tea bag. It is real ground coffee, but with the convenience of brewing like tea! It worked perfectly; a high-quality cup of coffee was made very easily with no cleanup. For our taste, one teabag was plenty strong to make both of our cups of morning coffee.
Lesson learned? It was difficult to combine our usual camping lifestyle with working long days at a job. Normally we enjoy the slow pace and simplicity of camping and living outdoors, but not when we are working all day and return ready to plop into bed.
Hurricane Ian
During our first few days in Maryland, we watched on the news as hurricane Ian tracked right over our boat yard in Port Charlotte, FL. We waited and wondered “How did Terrapin fare?”
A few days after the hurricane, a local boat owner flew a drone over Safe Cove, our boat yard, and posted the footage on youtube. It was so kind to provide that helpful insight to boat owners at a distance awaiting news if their boat was damaged. We could see from the flyover that Terrapin was on her side and had a broken mast.
Once Safe Cove staff were back in the yard, they provided a couple more pics of Terrapin which we forwarded to our insurance company. During all the waiting and wondering about Terrapin’s extent of damage, we were happy to have the distraction and busyness of the boat shows. Safe Cove was not open to boat owners so there really was nothing we could do but wait in Annapolis and enjoy the boat shows.
Our insurance company notified us that Terrapin was totaled. After the sailboat show was over, we decided to take a chance and drive to FL even though our boat was not upright yet. Safe Cove was making good progress on righting the boats so we hoped ours would be soon.
Persevere
Once we arrived in FL, Safe Cove was allowing boat owners to inspect their boats from the ground for 10-15 minutes. We waited our turn outside the gate to be escorted in their golf cart to our boat. Once we got a closer look at Terrapin, it helped confirm that our insurance’s assessment of a total loss claim was correct. The cost to do all the repairs probably exceeded our insured value. The bowsprit was knocked over and loose, there is a crack in the hull, the mast is broken, and our rigging is all a tangled mess. And that is what we could see from the ground. We’re still waiting to board her. Although they are making progress putting boats upright, it looks like Terrapin might be one of the last ones to stand back up. More patience!
You may notice I wore a T-shirt with our logo and the word “Persevere” when we visited Terrapin in the boatyard. Tony & I are trying to remind each other we can and will persevere through whatever challenges life brings our way, including hurricane Ian damaging our beloved Westsail 32 Terrapin.
If you could use a T-shirt, mug, or other reminders to persevere and enjoy the journey, check out my shop.
The women’s T-shirts run small so I recommend you order a size up on those. The men’s T-shirts seem to run true to size.
