![[photo, Skipjack H. M. Krentz on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/stmichaels/images/1198-1-1010.jpg)
Maryland's 23 rivers and bays combine with more than 400 miles of water tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, and coastal bays. To and from the Atlantic Ocean, some 35 miles of water are accessible.
In 2008, approximately 550 marinas, 41,000 wet boat slips, and some 196 public boat ramps and access points were found in Maryland. Annual recreational boating expenditures in 2007 in Maryland totaled over $1.8 billion, providing a net addition of over $1.1 billion.
The Department of Natural Resources 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.
Skipjack H. M. Krentz on Miles River, St. Michaels, Maryland, February 2005. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Boat rack along St. Mary's River, St. Mary's City, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/25univ/stmarys/images/1198-1-3961.jpg)
In 2008, Maryland registered 188,119 pleasure boats; 8,845 federally documented vessels (principally used in Maryland); 919 commercial boats; and 4,037 other kinds of vessels.
Information about licensing, boat titles, and boat registration is available from the Licensing and Registration Service of the Department of Natural Resources.
Boat rack along St. Mary's River, St. Mary's City, Maryland, May 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
![[photo, Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland]](/msa/mdmanual/37mun/annapolis/images/1198-1-3353.jpg)
Annapolis, Maryland's capital city, hosts the Annual United States Sailboat Show, and the Annual United States Powerboat Show each October at the City Dock.
In Cambridge, the Annual Schooner Rendezvous is held at Long Wharf at the end of High Street each October (next Oct. 23-25, 2009).
Sailboats, Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland, October 2008. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
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