Friends Visit And Boat Show Time

This is the United States Sailboat Show week in Annapolis. This is the largest in-the-water sailboat show in the world. Many new models and products are introduced during the show. Don and Janet Leech, friends from Pittsburgh we know from when we lived and sailed in Ohio were here for the boat show and to spend time with us on Ariel. We were very happy to see them and to catch up. They had a great summer with an extended trip sailing on the Great Lakes traveling from their home port on Lake Erie up the east side of Michigan on Lake Huron to Mackinaw. They were away most of the summer and plan to do more next summer. They arrived on Wednesday and after spending a little time visiting on Ariel we went out to dinner. On Thursday we did a dinghy tour of Spa Creek and Annapolis Harbor and saw the boat show from the water vantage point. They picked us up Friday and we went to the show together. All of us have been to the show many times and our interest is in the vendors exhibits in the tents. We passed on inspecting the boats. The crowd seemed lighter than usual to me.


A few years ago Don bought a Sailrite sewing machine which can handle the heavy materials used in the sails and canvas items on board. He has made many items for their boat saving a lot of money by doing it himself. Inspired by Don’s success and that of some friends in Rhode Island we bought a sewing machine at the show. Our first project will be a cockpit enclosure which will more than pay for the machine in savings over the commercial price. These will be side curtains that attach to our bimini and dodger to fully enclose the cockpit from the elements. Luckily Don and Janet had their car to haul the very heavy sewing machine back to our dinghy dock. After the show they were on their way. Don is a Ham (Amateur Radio) and they were off to a Hamfest later during the weekend. Once we add a SSB radio to Ariel we hope to make contact with his rig in Pittsburgh.