Manny Rubin, who's working on the SpinSheet Century Club for the year, reported 69 days on the water as of September 2. This photo was taken on a solo sail on Barnegat Bay. Did we mention that Manny's 86 1/2 years old?
What is the SpinSheet Century Club? In 2014, we decided to launch a challenge to SpinSheet readers to see how many days they could log on the water and to reward those who reached 100 within the calendar year.
We knew it may be a stretch to fit in 100 days under sail—plus so many of our sailing friends also paddle, fish, windsurf, or do the occasional cocktail cruise, so we figured we’d call a day on the water an official day on the water, no matter the vessel. As long as you leave the dock, it counts (swimming off the dock does not!). We also let boat owners count 10 land-based work days, as long as they log those days as they would on-water days.
The concept was an immediate hit. More than 50 sailors logged 100 days that first year, a couple of them reaching almost 250 days! We threw a party in their honor with cake and beer (what else do you need?) and gave them all SpinSheet Century Club burgees to proudly fly from their boats.
Many of our Century Club members are three-time Centurions. Members run the gamut from cruising families to boat captains, from retired sailors to 9-5 office workers who sail like maniacs on evenings and weekends.
You can join our club any time of the year. Just like SpinSheet, it’s free and always will be. All you need is proof in the form of a written or digital log to show the dates you got on the water. Some Centurions are very specific and can even tell us how many miles they sailed and what the weather conditions were… yet others just jot down dates, boat types, and places.
SpinSheet’s articles may be Chesapeake focused, but know that our Century Club members may log their on-water days anywhere they like from Mid-Western lakes to the Southern Ocean. As long as they provide proof of their accomplishments within the calendar year, they’re in!
Send your log and pictures anytime to [email protected]. If you'd like to join the SpinSheet Century Club, click here
