“It was an excellent show, our best Anacortes show to date,” reported Brian Krantz, owner of Inside Passage Yacht Sales. “And that’s saying something, as we’ve been happy every year with the results. I love the Trawlerfest component, which brings in folks from all over.”

Krantz was referring to last year’s decision by the Northwest Marine Trade Association to add PassageMaker magazine’s Trawlerfest to the Anacortes show. It proved to be a great move all around. (Trawlerfest and PassageMaker, along with Soundings Trade Only, are part of the Active Interest Marine Group.)

The Anacortes Boat & Yacht Show ran May 18-20 in Anacortes, Wash.

“This year’s show was one of our best yet,” said NMTA president George Harris. “It was a record space sellout with 99 exhibitors and 185 boats. Moreover, we sold tickets to visitors from 29 states and Canadian provinces.”

The weather was exceptional, and the show was buzzing all three days. The Trawlerfest seminars were a big success. Seminar topics included weather, anchoring, diesel maintenance, boat handling, navigation, managing power, stabilization, medical management, and a women’s boating roundtable.

“Traffic was really good,” said Tori Parrot, owner of Signature Yachts. “We had many serious conversations with boat owners and prospects. Our new line of all-electric boats, X Shore, turned a lot of heads and really resonated with area buyers. We’re now busy following up on leads and scheduling demos.”

Added Kelly Hawley, owner of Tom-n-Jerry’s Boat Center and Master Marine Boat Center: “We were very pleased with the attendance, and the weather was cooperative. We had a nice mix of new lookers, as well as boaters expecting to upgrade into larger boats — 30 feet and up garnered the most interest.”

NMTA is the country’s largest regional marine association, with a membership exceeding 600. It was founded in 1947 to fight a proposed special tax on boaters, then expanded its vision of a unified industry by pitching a tent on the shores of Seattle’s Lake Union and holding its first boat show.

In addition to Anacortes, NMTA also produces the Seattle Boat Show, the largest in the Pacific Northwest.