Bluewater Summer Cruise and 50th Anniversary Celebrates a Lifetime of Friendships & Memories
The Bluewater Yacht Sales Summer Cruise is our signature summer event where we rendezvous with customers and friends at a getaway destination within the Chesapeake Bay. For Bluewater’s 50th anniversary, we decided to bring the event back to where it all started in Hampton, Virginia. Attendees arrived at the Bluewater Yachting Center on a balmy July afternoon to kick off the celebratory weekend with a pool-side cocktail reception. Guests came from all over the Bay to catch up and meet new friends, and Bluewater team members and brand partners were on hand to welcome everyone to the relaxed waterfront affair.
Day 2 began with the opportunity to visit historic Downtown Hampton to stroll the many shops, restaurants and museums our home base has to offer. Later in the day, D-Dey Response Team educated us on emergency medical response tactics and equipment, which was then followed by the ever-popular Cornhole Challenge. We rounded out the evening with a picturesque dinner cruise aboard the Carrie B showboat, dining and dancing as we toured the Southern Bay. Everyone enjoyed live music and dancing with up-close views of the ships at Naval Station Norfolk, as well as a truly memorable sunset.
The third day began with arguably the best part of every Summer Cruise—boat christenings. Every year we organize all the participants with newly purchased boats and ask them the meaning of their boat’s name before christening their boat. We all enjoyed hearing stories, meeting new friends and of course drinking mimosas along the way! After a short break we loaded up on Carrie B again and took a trip to Norfolk’s Waterside District and enjoyed some of Downtown Norfolk’s attractions. Participants had the chance to visit the Nauticus Museum, tour the Battleship Wisconsin, ride the Skystar ferris wheel, and explore the shops and restaurants along quaint Granby Street. After spending a few hours away, everyone shuttled back to Hampton for the main event – our 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Golden Celebration
On the final night, the Bluewater Yachting Center hosted a few hundred of our closest friends and customers for the celebration of our 50th year in business! The event included live music from The Janitors, a massive dance floor, and gourmet catering and cocktails. The most special part of the evening was the surprise release of a documentary tribute to Chris Hall, Sr. and the legacy of Bluewater Yacht Sales. Just after sunset, several large screens lit up as the film began playing, and everyone paused to watch in amazement. The documentary told the story of Bluewater from the beginning and featured behind-the-scenes interviews from customers, partners, brands and employees that helped to build the company to what it is today. This helped turn an already special night into something that everyone will remember for years to come.
Following the celebration, the Summer Cruise participants headed back to their boats to rest up for departure in the morning. Before lines were being tossed back to the Bluewater Yachting Center dock hands on the final morning, we already had received many great suggestions for even more fun on the water together at our 2019 Summer Cruise in Tracey’s Landing, Maryland. Please join us next time so we can show you what being part of the Bluewater Family is all about!