5 boats make American debuts at Annapolis Sailboat Show

More than 150 sailboats are expected to display at the Annapolis Sailboat Show starting Friday, including a handful of North American and worldwide debutants.

In the sailing world, Annapolis is “the sailboat show. Everyone debuts there,” said Ryan Gullang, a spokesperson for the show.

This year, though, he conceded, the number of debutants is “a little low.”

One sailboat will make its world debut at the show. The Knysna 550 is an offshore cruising catamaran from Knysna Yacht Co., based in South Africa. This 55-foot fiberglass luxury cruiser is designed for high performance and features three bedrooms and a 185-gallon freshwater tank, allowing for extended trips.

Four other sailboats are making their North American debuts in Annapolis.

One of them, the Vaan R4, has a hull made from 60% recycled aluminum that is “100% recyclable” into another boat at the end of its life, Gullang said. The 42-foot R4 is made in the Netherlands and features a customizable cabin. Its narrower beam catamaran design makes it handle more like a monohull.

Another, the Tartan 34, is the only American boat making a debut in Annapolis. Its Ohio-based builder said on its website this 34-foot classic sloop is meant to encourage “frequent use” and “spontaneous escapes.”

Its keel options include a beavertail that makes it suited for cruising in shallow water, such as the Chesapeake Bay, Gullang said.

Gullang said boat makers don’t share with the organizers how much their boats cost to purchase. But he called Annapolis a lucrative opportunity for boat makers.

“The sailboat market’s not huge,” he said. “It’s a little niche.”

Makers will “sell 12 boats over four days, and that might be half the boats they sell in a year,” he said.

The boat show also features hundreds of equipment vendors and service providers. Although construction work at City Dock is disrupting the traditional footprint of the show, Gullang said, city officials have been accommodating.

“They’re going to be moving a lot of the construction out of the way, and we’ll be building tents over the construction area,” he said.

Leading up to the boat show, organizers worked with local businesses to offer discounted tickets to the exhibition. Gullang said the businesses in Annapolis’ historic downtown are one of the show’s “biggest assets.”

“A lot of boat shows, you go to a convention center. There’s a hot dog stand or whatever,” he said. “But what makes our shows really cool is that you can walk out and go to a bunch of different bars, some top-notch restaurants.”

The Sailboat Show continues through Sunday. One-day tickets are available online for $32, though children under 6 get in free and admission for those 7-15 is $10. (There was a special preview day Thursday.)