May is usually a pretty busy month, and this season is no exception. There’s a lot happening on the river this weekend, and pretty much every weekend of the month. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, you may not be aware that this weekend is the Inaugural DC Boat Show at National Harbour.
Unlike many boat shows in the area, this one will actually be on the water, and we hear that a lot of new piers have been installed to accommodate the number of big boats that will be on display there. We expect this show to have more of an “Annapolis” feel, and we are pretty excited about that. Much like the one in Annapolis, there’s plenty of restaurants and bars right there to help liven up your boat browsing experience!
As far as exhibitors go, there will be a lot of the big boys in yacht sales and service, as well as those companies offering specialized services like cleaning and maintenance. A couple of the exhibitors that caught our eye are:
Argo Navigation: Argo is a cool app that combines navigation with social networking. It can plot your course for you, show you where your friends are on the water, and you can make use of realtime reporting of hazards and such. You can get the app from your favorite app store, and meet them in person at the show.
DMV Boat Owners Club: The DMVBOC was founded about a year ago and is already making positive changes for folks on the river. In addition to sponsoring concerts at Belmont Bay Marina, they are doing raffles and giveaways to promote business and events along the river, and they will be selling raffle tickets at the show. Winners will get prizes like a 2-person towable raft, and even a stainless steel marine grill! If you purchase a raffle ticket, you get a free year of membership in the club! Their next big event is a jazz concert at Belmont Bay Marina on June 17. Come by and meet them this weekend.
There’s sure to be a lot to see and do there this weekend, so don’t miss the first DC Boat Show!