TRAWLERTALK Upcoming TrawlerFest Universities, TrawlerFests and TrawlerPorts in 2013: TrawlerFest University Baltimore graduation class aboard a Kadey Krogen 58. Look at all the room on the side deck.
TrawlerFest occurring within a larger traditional boat show, like the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the Miami Boat Show, the Seattle Boat Show and the Palm Beach Boat Show. TrawlerPort offers shorter, 45-minute seminars that are included in the general show admission price. No separate registration is required. Just show up and come to the TrawlerPort tent ready to learn. Surrounding this tent is a number of cruising trawlers on display for your convenience. For many, TrawlerPort is like a tasty morsel of information that leaves you craving more. This couple left Palm Beach with plans to attend TrawlerFest in Baltimore later in the fall. The American Tug grabbed ahold of their cruising spirit and kept pulling at their heart strings, so they scoured the Internet and gobbled up every boating magazine to read more about this brand. Now they are on the hunt to charter an American Tug before making their final decision. When becoming enlightened to the trawler lifestyle, it really pays to do your research, and a trawlerspecific show is a terrific way to start. And besides all the education, TrawlerFest is FUN! Stinkpot or blow boat, we all love to gather around the docks and tell sea stories. Often you’ll find boat clubs having a rendezvous at the show. MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners Association) is an all-inclusive group which has gathered at TrawlerFests on both coasts, Atlantic and the Pacific Northwest. Here’s a great link to MTOA and a number of different trawler groups that may help you along in your journey for the perfect boat: www.passagemaker.com/resources/owners-associations. The camaraderie of cruisers is incredible, regardless of what powers the propulsion. Because we are long-time educators and lifelong learners, we are fortunate to meet TrawlerFest groupies who come back to these events time and again. Sometimes, even after they’ve purchased their perfect boat, they return to outfit it with the latest in safety or electronic equipment, but for those of you who can’t fit another activity in your schedule this year, please stay tuned to the next few articles here in SOUTHWINDS where we will explore in detail some of the systems that we believe help make a trawler give you a much more pleasurable boating experience.
Jan. 25- Feb. 5
TrawlerPort, Seattle, WA
Jan. 29-30
University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jan. 31- Feb. 2
TrawlerFest, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Feb. 14-18
TrawlerPort at the Miami Boat Show
March 21-25
TrawlerPort at the Palm Beach Boat Show
May 14-15
University, Anacortes, WA
May 16-19
TrawlerFest, Anacortes, WA
Sept. 24-25
University, Baltimore, MD
Sept. 26-30
TrawlerFest, Baltimore, MD
(If you have any ideas for future topics, comments about this article, or comments about trawler coverage in SOUTHWINDS, email them to editor@southwindsmagazine.com.)
News & Views for Southern Sailors
SOUTHWINDS January 2013
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