Annapolis Under Sail With Boat Shows

Lure of Open Water Unites Diverse Crowd

Annapolis was abuzz: Presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon had tapped Maryland Gov. Spiro T. Agnew as his running mate, U.S. Naval Academy graduates were headed for Vietnam and parts of Washington, D.C., had erupted in fiery riots protesting the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

It was the summer of 1968, and Rick Franke, a fifth-grade teacher in Annapolis, sought sanctuary from a troubled world aboard a newly purchased 28-foot dragon sailboat that he named Puff, after a popular song about a magic dragon who lived by the sea.

"I wasn't much into politics," Franke said. "It was a way to get away. Most sailors are really hermits."

Nearly four decades later, Franke is the spokesman for the city's 36th annual United States Sailboat Show, which concluded Monday, and 34th annual United States Powerboat Show, which runs today through Sunday. The annual shows draw tens of thousands of spectators to Annapolis, some of them probably also looking to escape harsh realities, as Franke once did.

"Some people come to the show to buy boats, some come to buy parts and others come to dream," said Franke, who is also manager of the Annapolis Sailing School, which helps put the shows together.

Despite a drop in attendance so far due to bad weather, both boat shows are expected to pump $51 million into the local economy. The events also bring prestige to Annapolis.

"We are the sailing capital of the world. This is a point of pride," said Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), as he visited the sailboat show last week. "Secondly, this is a marketing opportunity for Annapolis and the industry, and third, it points out the importance of boating as a $2 billion part of our economy."

Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (D) also pointed to the prestige factor as she joined Ehrlich and boat show officials aboard the Arabella, a three-mast schooner from New England where an opening reception was held.

"The boat show has put us on the international map," Moyer said.

Ed Hartman, president of the Annapolis Boat Shows, the corporation that runs the two shows, said, "It is not only a great social event; it brings a tremendous amount of business, employment and pleasure to all of the people who come."

Many of those people were dreamers who strolled along the endless floating docks and fantasized about the day when they can own a boat. They gazed at the playful rubber Zodiac boats going for $8,294, or gawked at the Hallberg-Rassy 62, a stately yacht that cost $1.5 million.

There were the fat cats and stressed-out salespersons, deep into intense multimillion-dollar deals aboard sleek boats and catamarans. There were owners of smaller boats searching for the latest equipment, including Global Positioning System equipment and weather radios.