Century Club: mike pitchford

Check the box. Made it to Venice before it is no longer with us. It won't happen in my lifetime but rising sea level will get this gem at some point. Already many first floors have been abandoned. The famous St Marks square floods quite often.

You cannot get around Venice without taking a boat. Well, you can but who would want to do so. There is a "bus line" running down the Grand Canal, water taxis, gondolas and more. The Amazon packages are delivered by boat. The garbage is collected by boat. The ambulances are boats. The hearses are boats.

Upon arrival we took a water taxi from the train station to our hotel. We rode the Grand Canal "bus". We were on a boat or multiple boats every day. We left Venice on a water taxi to the airport.

What started as a thought that ten friends would bare-boat charter in the BVI became the charter of a 110' gullet with a captain and crew in Croatia. The evolution of the decision steps are not important but the experience was priceless.

We started with a long flight from BWI to Dubrovnik via Heathrow. We had several days to explore the historic city of Dubrovnik, something I recommend if you are making the trip. It is a beautiful, safe, clean, and perhaps overcrowded with tourist, city.

The cruise began in Dubrovnik when we met the Dolce Vita, a locally built 110' sailing gullet. The captain, Tome, and crew could not have been more welcoming and fun over the duration of the cruise.

From Dubrovnik we cruise the quiet anchorages and small towns north and east along the Adriatic coast of Croatia ending in the larger port city of Split. After a bit of rain to start the weather was ideal, the ports of call nearby and the food excellent, thanks to our onboard chef, Boris.

I am preparing an article for PropTalk about nano and microbreweries you can reach by boat. The best way to fully execute the research is to get on the boat and go? And so my co-author and another friend, the "usual suspects" set out for Chesapeake City on May 9th. We arrived at the Chesapeake Inn and Marina around 5:00 and proceeded to the Bayheads Brewery. Bayheads is a nano brewery with a good beer selection and an interesting history dating to 2016.

On May 10th we dawdled in town because our next stop was only 20 miles away, Havre de Grace. We arrived around 1:00 in rain and wind and cold. For May this was not unexpected but the overnight temps did get into the 40s. Thank goodness for heat on the boat!

We went directly to Market Street Brewing and sampled their offerings. They are also a nano brewery with a nice selection and a very roomy and open tap room. Lunch followed at Abbey's burgers.

There is another small brewery, Battery Island, in town we moved to check out at 6:00. It was smaller but very friendly. Dinner followed at the Italian place in town. Ice cream followed that, of course.

Home early Saturday back to Annapolis with a pumpout and fuel fill before arriving at the boat dock.

drive the car home from Florida. Stopped in Norfolk where the boat sits awaiting a good transit day on the bay. With 2'+ waves at three seconds and 15 - 20 knot winds out of the NE, Friday was another no-go day. Try again on Wednesday.