Well, it's official: the 2018 Mariner National Rendezvous will take place August 3-5. I'm still keeping the destination(s) under wraps until things are a little more solidified, but it will indeed take place again here in Connecticut with everybody launching from the Niantic River Launch Ramp.
We're going back to having it on a weekend, mainly for attendance purposes. This past July, the Rendezvous was in the middle of the week, and there are definite pros to having a mid-week event. Prices are cheaper, and there's a lot less boat traffic and car traffic to deal with both coming and going. However, it came at the expense of attendance. It's a lot harder to get time off for a mid-week event than it is for a weekend. For the 2017 "Westward to Essex" Rendezvous, we had eight boats; next year, my goal is fifteen. Do you think we can do it?