The TrawlerFest boatshow and seminar series returns to the Chesapeake Bay for six days this fall. TrawlerFest-Bay Bridge happens Tuesday through Sunday, Sept. 29-Oct. 4, and includes signature in-depth seminars on diesel engines, hands-on boat handling and how to master the boat buying process.
Dozens of new and used cruising powerboats will be featured on the docks of the Bay Bridge Marina Yacht Club on Kent Island at the foot of Maryland’s magnificent Bay Bridge, as you probably had guessed. The boat show runs Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 1-4, and includes booths displaying marine products and services.
With 23 seminars, speakers include renown experts such as Nigel Calder on engines, Steve Zimmerman on systems maintenance, Chuck Neville on hull design, Ben Ellison on electronics, Bruce Kessler on long-distance cruising, Mark & Diana Doyle on the ICW and Chris Parker on weather. This year’s destination seminars will focus on the Great Loop and its tributaries and Down East Maine. Seminars run from Tuesday through Sunday, Sept. 29-Oct. 4, beginning with “Everything You Need to Know About Diesel Engines.”
SAILORS INVITED
Even though the event is called TrawlerFest, and its brought to you by PassageMaker magazine, most of the seminars are “propulsion agnostic.” That is, their lessons apply equally to sailors as well as power cruisers.
And yet there is another important element to TrawlerFest—the trappings of an old fashioned rendezvous. During the boat show, evening events will bring together boatbuilders, vendors, seminar speakers, boat owners and boat owners-to be in an atmosphere of fun, fellowship and maybe even a few drinks. It’s for that reason that TrawlerFest has been described as a “Woodstock for the nautically inclined and/or high achievers.”
Stay tuned over the next couple weeks as we unveil our seminar series with links to out ticketing site. Some of the seminars have class size limits, so don’t wait too long. And keep in mind that purchasing a VIP pass gives attendees access to multiple seminars at significant savings.
SEMINAR TITLES
Here are some of the actual titles of the seminars that have been confirmed:
“Everything You Need to Know About Diesel Engines” (16-hours), “Boatbuyer’s Survival Guide” (eight hours), “Hands-On Boat Handling (eight hours), Care & Maintenance of the Cruising PowerBoat” (eight hours), “The Great Loop & Amazing Sidetrips,” (four hours), “Weather for Cruisers” (four hours), “Southbound on the ICW” (four hours), “Emergencies at Sea” (four hours), “Basic Coastal Navigation for Husbands & Wives” (four hours), “An Introduction to Metal Boat Buying” (four hours), “Guns & Governments: What the Armed Cruiser Needs to Know” (four hours), “Boat Husbandry in the Digital Age” (two hours), “Medical Preparedness for Cruisers” (two hours), “On-Board Wireless” (two hours), “Multi-Function Displays: Now & in the Future” (two hours),“Cruising Down East” (two hours), “Provisioning Tips from the Pros” (two hours), “Cruisers Perspectives: A Town Hall Meeting” (two hours) and “Electronic Engine Monitoring Comes of Age” (two hours).
