We left Annapolis just after the sailboat show and went to Brunswick, GA where our boat, s/v Bliss has been having a new cockpit enclosure built. The trip to Brunswick covered over 700nm, which means we've sailed more than 3000nm in 2023 aboard s/v Bliss. However, although our Bliss was docked for several weeks, we decided to take a break from cruising on s/v Bliss and go cruising on Norwegian Bliss, an 1100', 19-deck cruise ship. That trip covered another 5000nm, to South America, Central America, and Mexico. We went through the Panama Canal and stopped in 4 countries along the way. Since Oct 1, we've spent another 79 days on the water. Tomorrow will be our last day on the water for 2023, bringing our total to 342 days. All our adventures are chronicled on our YouTube channel (Sailing Bliss) and our Facebook page.
Century Club: Russ Borman
Thought I had made an entry this year but don't see it. We are full time cruisers and have been on the water almost every day so far this year, starting in the Keys in January, all over the Bahamas from March - May, up the east coast to Maine for the summer, and just got back to the Chesapeake. About 4000nm as of 10/1.
S/V Bliss reached the Century goal back in April. We are full-time cruisers and as of 10/1 we have been on the water almost every day this year.
The conclusion of the sailboat show signals that it's time to head south. We left Annapolis on October 18th, headed for the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. We split our time somewhat evenly between offshore sailing and traveling down the ICW. There are several favorite stops along the way, and for us the trip is about enjoying the journey, rather than rushing to a destination.
It took us nearly 5 weeks to make it to central Florida, using our casual approach. We met friends along the way and made many new ones. We've been chronicaling our adventures on our Facebook page and have even started a YouTube channel. We ended the year with roughly 300 days on the water and we're already building our 2023 Century Club days.
July saw the return of S/V Bliss to the waters of the Chesapeake. We arrived in Annapolis on July 10th, but didn't stay long. After finding a slip for the summer, we immediately vacated it! A fun 3-day raft-up with fellow cruisers was followed by a multi-day trip to the eastern shore. We did lots of day-sailing out on the bay, and we also spent about a week on a mooring ball just off City Dock, while we explored the area by dinghy and paddle board. There were about 5 days of boat repairs that kept Bliss from cruising, so we opted for other forms of water adventures: kayaking, paddle boarding, even a ride on the water taxi. Once Bliss was ready, off we went. A long weekend in Rock Hall was followed by a couple days on Rock Creek and a quick trip up the Magothy. We also made a trip to St. Michael's for a couple days, then over to the West River for a night. We've been up to Baltimore for a few days, as well. The last sailing trip of the summer brought us up the Chester River for a few stops before sailing back in sporty conditions. When we're not sailing, we often dinghy into downtown. It's a fun way to go and we avoid the parking debacle. We live on our boat, but we only count the days we actually travel by water. Soon we will be heading out on our annual escape from winter, which has us back in travel mode every day!
We left Annapolis on Nov 10, 2021 for the Florida Keys and Bahamas. On Jan 1st of this year, we had reached the space coast of Florida. We continued cruising down the Atlantic coast, spent 2 months cruising up and down the Keys, a month sailing around the Abacos, and the last 5+ weeks gradually making our way back to the Chesapeake. As of the end of June, we have been on the water for 171 days in 2022. Except for a week in March, we've sailed or motored every day. We arrived back in Annapolis on July 8th, but expect to do lots of exploring around the bay this summer before pointing our boat south for the winter again.