It?s back and bigger than ever.
The 54th Baltimore Boat Show, the longest-running and largest boating event in the area, just got grander with the addition of SailFest, a 25,000-square-foot area featuring new keelboats, catamarans and skiffs.
“The show is the largest ever, with 700 boats filling all 300,000 square feet of exhibition space at the Baltimore Convention Center,” show manager Michael Duffy said.
Paul Rocca, powerboater from Lexington, Ky., flew into Baltimore Thursday for the show.
“My wife said you can do anything, just don?t bring home a boat,” said Rocca, who owns a 20-foot Sea Ray. “I love boats and the water. My friend and I come early, we have until Saturday here, so there?s not so many people around.”
Rocca?s confident he?ll beat his friend and sailing enthusiast Hank Wacker, also from Kentucky, in the Powerboat Docking Challenge, in which Boat Show guests race the clock to steer a remote-controlled boat through a 20-foot tank and safely guide it into the marina.
The five-day event boasts more than 175 seminars on boating and fishing, led by area sportsmen, and several competitions for prizes. Powerboat enthusiasts can check out the more than 750 powerboats, personal watercraft, performance boats and luxury yachts on display.
Additionally, the show will host the two largest boats in its history ? a 45-foot Hunter Marine 45 sailboat and a 42-foot Rinker 400 Express cruiser.
Baltimore City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake opened the show Wednesday night at a benefit for the Living Classrooms Foundation. “It?s events like these that make me excited to be a Baltimorean and in public service,” she said. “Baltimore is a harbor city, and this is a terrific opportunity to showcase that. This show is a part of the renaissance of the city, and we?re proud to usher that in.”
Examiner Staff Writer Jessica Novak contributed to this article.
If you go
The 54th Baltimore Boat Show
» Where: Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St., Baltimore
» When: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. today; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
» Tickets: $5 to $10
» Info: www.baltimoreboatshow.com
