Congratulations, Liz and Bob, on Hitting 100 On-Water Days for the First Time
First-time SpinSheet Century Club members Liz and Bob Powell, who reached 103 and 107 days on the water respectively in 2019, share highlights of their journey:
What motivated you this year to get out there?
The Century Club – we liked the idea of challenging ourselves to get out on the water. In all honesty since we moved to Annapolis and began living on the water full time we felt like we weren’t taking full advantage of the opportunities right in front of us. When we lived in NJ we got out on the boat nearly every weekend in the warm weather. Now that the boat is right here for us anytime, it’s too easy to get distracted and say, “we’ll head out tomorrow or next week”.
Can you share three highlights from the season?
The Happy Hour Cruise we donated to the Leukemia Cup turned out to be great fun. The winner brought a wonderful group with her and we stayed out well past dark enjoying their company. That cruise led to another night out with the friends we made that night as well as some new ones.
We discovered an unnamed pristine cove off the Wye River. We tucked in for a couple of blissfully peaceful nights and can’t wait to go back again.
On one of our nightly cruises we came upon a group of sailors well outside green 1 headed into Back Creek. They were sitting on deck looking like they were enjoying the evening so we weren’t sure they needed help, but we stopped to ask. We learned that they were indeed aground and not optimistic about getting off until the midnight tide shift (seems they had given the helm to a ‘newbie’ who was unfamiliar with how to navigate the markers). It took us a while, but we were able to get them off and headed home without incident.
Did you experience any scary days (storms, emergencies, etc)?
We try to avoid those situations! The only storm we encountered was at a friend’s dock. We were on our way to the Sultana Downrigging and opted to avoid the predicted storm by stopping in Black Hole Creek on Halloween night. The wind blew well into the night keeping the guys busy adjusting lines until the wee hours of the morning.
Favorite wildlife sightings?
Well, you can’t spend time on the water in Annapolis without a good number of duck sightings, but Bob captured this shot of one of the locals trying to catch a ride on the dinghy. On their annual trip together, Liz and the grandkids went whale watching off the coast of Gloucester, Mass and captured these photos of a mom and her calf.
Did you take any newcomers out sailing or doing some other kind of boating?
One of the Happy Hour Crew had her first experience on a sailboat with us. It was a calm night with just enough wind to enjoy a gentle sail and gorgeous sunset. Perfect experience for a first timer. We also had a chance to take a young family of 4 out for the day. We sailed to Whitehall Bay where we anchored, swam and had a picnic lunch.
What did you get out of being on the water so much?
Pure joy, new friends, family memories! There is nothing in this world that compares to the feeling of being on the water. That and the desire to be out there even more in the new year. We’re getting an early start with an electric boat cruise around Newport Harbor to kick off our next 100.
What would you recommend to someone considering the 2020 Century Club?
Go For It!!! If you need an incentive to get you out there more often, this is it. If you want to extend the challenge beyond yourself, start a friendly competition with a fellow water-lover (spouses/partners count – Bob loves the competition, even if it’s just with me) and encourage one another to make more time to enjoy the water.
