Those who are used to heading to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for PassageMaker’s TrawlerFest will venture to a new location October 1-4: the Bay Bridge Marina in Stevensville, MD, on the Eastern Shore side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. An in-water show with a rendezvous-like atmosphere for power cruising enthusiasts, TrawlerFest provides six days of seminars (from September 29 through October 4), a four-day boat show with the latest boats and marine accessories and services, and social activities, including Trawlers at Twilight and a Friday night dinner and movie. Show attendees may buy their show and/or seminar tickets a la carte or as a VIP package. You may attend as much or as little of the event as you like, but if connecting with fellow cruisers and learning more about the lifestyle and your boat are priorities, you will want to take advantage of having so many specialists in one place at the same time. Click to passagemaker.com for complete details. You may even find a few sailors on the docks--they're known for going to the "dark side," too. Photo by JC McCracken Tickets: General admission: $15 (presale), $18 on site. VIP Package: $375 (includes show and seminars—excluding Diesel Engine and Boathandling—and social events). A couple of Annapolis Yacht Sales friends in front of a Swift 50 Trawler. Seminars: Two-Day Seminars
  1. Everything You Need To Know about Diesel Engines
  2. The Boat Buyers Survival Guide
  3. Care and Maintenance of the Cruising Powerboat
  4. Hands-On Boathandling
Four-Hour Seminars
  1. Southbound on the ICW
  2. Emergencies at Sea: Anticipating, Reacting, Overcoming
  3. Guns and Government: Local Laws, Firearms Care at Sea, and Down Island Security
  4. Basic Coastal Navigation for Husbands and Wives
  5. Pacific Northwest Cruising for East Coast Boaters
  6. Weather Basics for Cruisers
  7. An Introduction to Metal Boats
  8. The Great Loop and Amazing Sidetrips
Two-Hour Seminars
  1. Partnership Building: Planning and Docking as a Couple
  2. Apps for Cruisers
  3. Medical Preparedness for Cruisers
  4. Satellite Communication and Entertainment
  5. Couples Cruising with the Caldwells
  6. Onboard Wireless
  7. Cruisers’ Perspectives: a Town Hall Meeting
  8. Multi-Functional Displays: Now and in the Future
  9. Partner in Command
  10. Downeast Cruising
  11. Electronic Engine Monitoring Comes of Age
  12. Provisioning Tips from the Pros
  13. Rules of the Road
  14. Liveaboard Designs and Improvements
13 Things To Do Outside the Show Gates We asked a local what to do around Stevensville. Here are some ideas: