Boating Events Kick Off Safe Boating Week

Boat shows can be found across the country and around the world this weekend as National Safe Boating Week begins...

A scene from SailQuest Mystic this past weekend. Photo © Nautical Sites Media

Boat shows are always a good time, but they are the best this time of year when the weather is warm enough to enjoy in-water boat displays and when the shows are tied into outdoor festivals with (hopefully) fair weather, delicious food, and a wide array of boats. This upcoming weekend's boat shows are no exception, with events in Florida, California, and all points in between - as well as around the world in places such as Australia and Russia.

We try to go to as many as we can... In fact, we were at SailQuest Mystic in Connecticut this past weekend, and we've got some great pictures on our FaceBook page that include a variety of sail and power boats from the boat show, as well as some of the historic ships that are part of Mystic Seaport - the beautiful living museum that hosted SailQuest.

Read on for this weekend's boat show round-up.

Boat Shows and events in the US
This weekend's boat shows across the United States include the following:

St. Augustine Nautical Festival and Boat Show in Florida
Santa Rosa Mall Armed Forces Salute and Boat Show in Florida
Orange County Boat Show and Sportfishing Festival in California
Crystal Coast Boat Show in the Outer Banks of North Carolina

Ready, Set, Inflate... and Boat Safely
Saturday is the first day of National Safe Boating Week 2011. Safe Boating Week is typically aligned with when boating season begins in many parts of the country with one of the busiest times on the water, Memorial Day weekend. There are local events being organized all over North America throughout the week - such as at many marinas and USCG Auxiliary locations - to help encourage boating safety this summer.

The week for boating safety begins on Saturday, May 21st. You can actually be part of setting a world record on that day - while raising awareness about the importance of wearing a lifejacket - by wearing your inflatable life jacket for "Ready, Set, Inflate". There are organized events around the world. To find one near you, visit www.readysetinflate.com.

International Boat Shows
This weekend's big boat shows outside of North America include the following:

Beirut Boat Show in Lebanon
Vladivostok Boat Show in Russia
Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, Down Under

As always, details about these and other boating events this weekend, including links to the official show websites, are on our calendar of boat shows. If we missed an event in this article or on our calendar, please send us an email - boatshows@firstboat.com.

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