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On Wednesday before the Annapolis Boat Show the Southwest 737 was full to the point that one lucky person was bought off with a free round trip ticket and a guaranteed later flight. A good omen I hoped, for the show. And, I was glad I had used some frequent flyer miles to secure our seats.


We arrived on a very warm day in Annapolis. The South River was shimmering in the early Fall heat. ZT needed a good washing, but was otherwise riding well in her mooring. Once we moved in, we were so excited to be back in our little home away that we stayed up late reading and watching some pretty silly movies.


Up early yesterday to be at the show when it opened. No problem finding a place to park in Eastport, which produced a nice walk to the center of town by ?Ego Alley�, which was now full of sailboats all akimbo, moored at angels that made it impossible to figure out how it was accomplished. Who ever was in charge of the mooring plan is a genius. I think next year I want to be here a few days earlier to see how it is done!


The weather cooperated by moderating to almost a sweater type day, with a nice breeze and plenty of sun. A great day for boat viewing.


Of course the boats were beautiful. All the way from the little Optimist prams, to the giant Oyster 82s and Lagoon 50 cats. Being cat persons we spent a lot of time visiting each of the new double hulls. There were many new boats from as far away as Australia and South Africa. The Africats sailed up in a fleet in record time. The Aussies came on carriers to Newport, then sailed down after that show. The French boats, Lagoons, sailed over the traditional way, Canaries, West Indies, and up the Gulf Stream to Annapolis.


I guess the cats were up in Newport, but that is very traditional mono hull country, and I?? m thinking that they have not made many inroads there.


There were some beautiful wooden boats, some old, some new, that gave you a clear appreciation for the art of shipbuilding, and a good feeling that it hasn?? t been entirely lost. The Schooner Virginia, which we had admired many times while we were walking the Norfolk waterfront, made the trip with her young crew. It?? s good to know that we are still raising wooden deck sailors as well.


The cats are getting so big that it seems to me that the designers are running out of ideas of what to do with all the space they provide. A new concept appears to be a sliding door that shuts off the owner?? s side of the boat, but, I?? m not sure why. Couches in the owners suit seem to be the rage this year. Wasted space to me. I?? m not a big fan of trampolines either. I would rather see a solid bridge deck adding structural strength to the boat. One of the big cats had two kayaks hanging under the tramps on each side. Can?? t imagine them surviving a decent sea state.


The best feature of the cats to me is the open lanai between the cockpit and the saloon. Some of the new boats have really done this up right with galley pass throughs and even doors that disappear overhead so that the entire space is opened up. Fabulous in good weather.


In deference to the exposed to the weather conning stations found on most cats, many have added very usable navigation stations in the main saloon, with a good view of the way ahead and wireless or hard wired remote controls, at least for the sails. That is a good idea. There were also a few new boats that had the running rigging buried under the coach roof to keep the decks uncluttered. Looked very neat, but it made you wonder what would happen when a line broke, or some other problem arose.


More later, this needs to be posted.