Boston vs. Baltimore

So I’ve been spending the last few days in Boston, MA for the Volvo Race. The one question that I have gotten a lot is, “How does Boston compare to Baltimore?” I have to say, the comparison is interesting, there are pluses and minuses to each stopover, I would love to say one was way better than the other, but I don’t think I can. Boston has a lot of things going for it that I enjoy. The haul out area and all the bases are right at Fan Pier, so everyone can see everything. While the general public is not allowed in this “wet area” they can still see in and see what is happening. There was nothing like this in Baltimore, in fact everything was quite a ways away, so the general public never really got to see, where the real action happens, in fact, they were no where near it, kind of a bummer for Baltimore and big points for Boston.
Baltimore did however have some strong points in my mind, the location was fantastic, it was right downtown, which allowed the public to see so much. This location was also really cool because you could go to any number of restaurants along the harbor and see boats zipping around, which also means a lot of people who just happened to be going out would stumble upon the VOR. In Boston, the waterfront area seemed not nearly as inviting, which was simply unfortunate. You really had to be aware that the circus was coming to town, and you had to want to go. That said, there certainly wasn’t any lack of excitement Saturday when boats left for the in-port race, or Sunday during the Pro-Am match racing that was right off the pier.
Finally, dock access. The distance between the dock and shore was about the same in both locations…very close. This is fantastic for all of us going there to look at sweet boats, there is no shortage of viewing at either venue, however, Boston has lacked one critical aspect…dock tours. In Baltimore, you could stand in line, and eventually be taken down to the dock in groups of 8 or so, to see the boats. I’ve seen none of this here in Boston, which is a real shame. Getting up close to these boats is certainly a highlight for many people. Now, granted in Baltimore, you were never allowed on the boats, they were still there, and you could still take nice up close and personal photographs, you really cannot do that in Boston, and I think this might be one of the larger shortfalls. For the general sailing public, this was the coolest part, and for the general non-sailing public, this was a great way to show them the sport, I was certainly sad to not see this in Boston.
More to come from Boston!