Beginning in mid-November, my email inbox started to swim in correspondence from around the world as SpinSheet Century Club members checked in with their logs of 100 days on the water. As more and more checked in, the party grew. We now have a date: February 7, in Annapolis, we’ll take a moment out of the cold winter to remember and celebrate the Endless Summer.
“Thank you for giving me the incentive to get on the water more often,” many wrote. “This has done wonderful things for me,” said others. “We can’t wait for 2015” wrote a member whose 2014 log listed 131 days of sailing.
Yes, it would be easy to get on the water more if we taught sailing, or worked in the industry (the whole SpinSheet office laughs heartily at that one). It would be easier to get on the water more if we had a boat that didn’t need so much maintenance. If the boat were closer. If work lightened up. If the kids weren’t so involved in soccer. The excuses abound when you let them.
Strangely enough, it seemed as if the small boat sailors got out on the water the most, which is impressive when you consider having to launch a Laser or Sunfish every time you went sailing. Almost everyone had a day or two of kayak or SUP paddling, and even quite a bit of power boating, which made me happy. We’ll take it any way we can get it.
I loved hearing from Club members who took their game overseas, literally. Sailing to Fiji, Japan, Cuba, Italy, and more, they sent in pictures that made everyone in the office swoon. How incredible to combine the allure of foreign travel with the adventure of sailing? They sailed with strangers and family. They taught newbies and learned from old salts. There was nothing they could not, would not do.
So mark your calendars, Century Club members! February 7 we’ll be celebrating the best and most active Bay boaters with a party to remember. We have over 20 sailors, fishermen, boaters, SUP’ers, and kayakers with more than 100 days on the water. Are you among them? Email [email protected] by to secure your status (and your burgee).
At the end of this issue you’ll read of resolutions and goals to get you thinking about your own 2015. If you truly committed to making more time to get out on the water, would you actually follow through with it?
What is keeping you from taking your own sailing to another level? The Century Club is more than a membership: it’s a mindset. And this is the year for you to reach enlightenment. ~D.P.
