If you have one of our boats and want to get more involved in small craft culture–or don’t have a boat of your own yet but want to learn firsthand what makes rowing and sailing skiffs so much fun–here are some upcoming events to put on your calendar!
This year there are some inaugural events that we think will be well-worth checking out, and we’ve broken the list down by region so you can see what’s happening in your area. (Tap on the arrows for a description to help you understand the different types of events that happen in the small-boat world.)
FESTIVALS are casual events to celebrate everything boats have to offer with a fun waterfront atmosphere.
People will be showing off their cool boats, there are usually seminars about boating skills, or presentations from people who have fascinating stories to share of adventures in their boats. While vendors will often be present showing and selling their wares, festivals are much more laid back and less stuffy than formal boat shows. Bottom line: Festivals are a fun way for the curious newbie to learn and see what all the fuss is about!
RAIDS / RENDEZVOUS / CRUISES are on the water meetups of boaters enjoying their boats out in the real world.
There’s often a multi-night itinerary, and you’ll get a combination of folks camping on shore or sleeping aboard if they have enough room on board. Shorter events may take place on a weekend, longer events an entire week (or more). Fair warning, these events often don’t have support vessels nearby, so you need to be ready to be independent. Bottom line: These are ideal for getting your feet wet with dinghy cruising, since you have other boaters in the group nearby and you can make friends quickly!
RACES are timed/tracked events where is a winner declared… even if the prize is just bragging rights.
There will usually be separate divisions for different types of teams… sailing, rowing, paddling… solo and as a group. The overnight ones are focused on endurance, and a lot of adventurous small boaters aspire to simply complete the race. There is a formal registration process, often with an application to make sure you are qualified for the challenges that you may face. Winning is viewed as one heck of an achievement, even if no prize money is awarded. Bottom line: Even if you’re not racing, these usually have really fun starting & finishing events, and ways to follow the racers via online trackers and root on your favorites!
BOAT SHOWS are the grandaddy of boating events, with the biggest boats (and the biggest marketing budgets behind them).
Truth be told, over the past 2 decades or so it’s gotten a lot more difficult to find sailboats or traditional small craft at boat shows. In general, boat shows are now dominated by larger boats, typically powerboats — it’s just too expensive nowadays for most small boatbuilders to participate. We are one of the few small-boat builders left who even bother anymore, and we’re very picky about which ones we attend. Bottom line: If we are going, it’s because we think YOU’LL enjoy going… and we offer enticing specials to make it worth your while!
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
We’re very fortunate to have a couple of great local boating organizations in the Northwest Maritime Center and the Puget Sound Pocket Yachters. The festivals they put together are annual can’t-miss events, and they organize fantastic races and RAIDs to get everyone on the water.
Small Boat Festival (Port Ludlow, WA): May 31, 2025
We’re thrilled to again be sponsoring the second annual Small Boat Festival hosted by the Puget Sound Pocket Yachters!
Details are still coming together, but we’ll display several boats in the water and on land. Scamp will be there for sure, and the Point Defiance, and perhaps a couple of new stock boats will be available for purchase. Info at https://pocketyachters.com/events/sbf/ >>
(FAQ: Will the new redesigned Lobster Boat make an appearance? Maybe! It won’t have a deck on it by then, but we might be able to bring out the work-in-progress if it’s at a point where we can take it out of the mold to put on a trailer. Suspense!)
Seventy48 human-powered Boat Race (Tacoma, WA): June 6, 2025
Seventy miles in 48 hours, human power only. Team “We Might Just Cruise” (the White brothers) finished last year in under 24 hours, and are at it again in their Salish Voyager. Can they beat their previous time? Follow along at https://seventy48.com/ >>
WA360 Row & Sailboat Race (Port Townsend, WA): June 28, 2025
360 miles by only wind or human power — no motors allowed. We’ll be rooting on the two teams signed up to race in their Salish Voyagers, including team “Flying Hamster” and team “Wilderfather“! Follow along and see all the racers at https://nwmaritime.org/nwmc-events/races-cruises/wa360/ >>
Salish 100 Cruise (Olympia to Port Townsend, WA): July 24-31
Note, registration for 2025 event is full: https://nwmaritime.org/nwmc-events/races-cruises/salish-100/
Small Boat Beach Rendezvous (Blake Island, WA): August 2, 2025
Super casual meetup for human and sail-powered boats on the NW shore of an island only accessible by boat. https://pocketyachters.com/events/sbbr/
Wooden Boat Festival (Port Townsend, WA): Sept 5-7, 2025
This is THE BIG annual event that draws wooden boat and traditional small craft enthusiasts from all over the Western states. We’ll be in the “Innovation area” — while our boats are made in fiberglass, they are a modern outgrowth of the traditional wood boat heritage that led us to where we are today. Our spot is on land, but hopefully we’ll have enough space this year to bring our land-version of the Forward Rowing System along, so you can get your hands and head around how smoothly it works in real life. Info at https://woodenboat.org/ >>
GREAT LAKES
RAID ERIE 2025 (Catawba Island State Park, Ohio): August 1st – 3rd
This is the INAUGURAL EVENT of the Dinghy Cruising Association‘s new Great Lakes chapter! We have shipped SO MANY boats to new homes in the Great Lakes region in the past few years… but there’s a lack of organization in the small-boat community in the Great Lakes that this group aims to correct!
We’ve told the organizers that we would be happy to spread the word, and see if we can get some Scamps, Salish Voyagers, or other capable small cruising sailboats into the mix. If they get a good response to this inaugural event, they want to see it become an annual thing. Have a great time with like minded dinghy sailors, and help get a good thing off the ground! Info and registration at https://www.raiderie.net/ >>
MID-ATLANTIC
Annapolis Sailboat Show (Annapolis, MD): Oct 9-12
The biggest sailboat show in the country, with people coming from many states away to visit. We attended last year with the Scamp, Salish Voyager, and Navigator, and were delighted that we were so warmly welcomed! So we’re trying it again, and we hope this becomes an annual thing. We have space to display three boats. This year we know for sure we want to bring out a 12′ Scamp again, and the 12′ Point Defiance… but the third boat is up in the air. Show info at https://www.annapolisboatshows.com/sailboat-show/ >>
PS. IF YOU’RE IN THE ANNAPOLIS AREA AND CONSIDERING ORDERING A BOAT THIS YEAR, we’re willing to offer discounted or possibly even *free* shipping…in exchange for you letting us display your boat as a demo in the show before you take it home.
Watch this page for more events to be added to the schedule as the year goes on!
While there are dozens of worthwhile events each summer, these are the ones where we plan to be in attendance, or we’ve told the event organizers that we’d help spread the word! This post will be updated as more dates are added.
Remember, we’re always happy to chat about our boats and help you pick the right one that matches what you envision for your waterfront lifestyle. Give us a call at 253-851-2126 or create an online quote here … and dare to start dreaming!