USS Constellation, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland, November 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
Information about licensing, boat titles, and boat registration is available from the Licensing and Registration Service of the Department of Natural Resources. The Department also provides information about public boat launch facilities in Maryland. Within the Department, the Maryland Water Trails Program coordinates the development, promotion, and protection of a system of water trails throughout the State.
Crab boat with crab pots (traps), Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, June 2010. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
In 2014, approximately 550 marinas, 40,000 in-water boat slips, and some 246 public boat ramps were found in Maryland along with 199 additional public access sites for boating. Annual recreational boating expenditures in 2013 in Maryland totaled over $2.2 billion, providing $1.8 billion to the State's Gross Domestic Product.
Boat rack along St. Mary's River, St. Mary's City, Maryland, May 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
In 2011, Maryland registered 178,573 pleasure boats; 2,645 commercial boats; and 8,236 federally documented vessels (principally used in Maryland).
On the Eastern Shore, each July, the Cambridge Classic powerboat races are held. Dating from 1910, they are the nation's oldest active powerboat races. This year's race will be held July 25-26, 2015.
Skipjack H. M. Krentz on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland, February 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
Each Spring, the Bay Bridge Boat Show is held on Kent Island at Stevensville. It is the largest Mid-Atlantic Spring boat show and will next be held April 2016.
Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland, September 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
Annapolis, Maryland's capital city, hosts the Spring Sailboat Show each April and the Annual United States Sailboat Show and the Annual United States Powerboat Show each October at the City Dock.
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) 2014 Canoe Slalom World Championships were held in McHenry, in Garrett County. The international event, which was held Sept. 17-21, 2014, required competitors to navigate a 300-meter whitewater course in either a canoe or kayak.
Boats at piers, Severn River, Crownsville, Maryland, May 2015. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
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