Last call of the season

Last call of the season

A wonderful young couple from Ohio wasn’t sure whether they should choose the Adventure Cruise or the History Cruise on their three-day trip to Williamsburg. As it happened, they got both. It was also the last call of the season. Steven Sutters and Casey Carmell work in Columbus, where he’s a software designer for a health […]

Last afternoon sail

Last afternoon sail

Will Lovo and Thi Do took a spontaneous cruise on the York River on what is likely the last afternoon sail of the season. Will works for Spring in Harrisonburg while Thi is at Eastern Mennonite University doing pre-med studies. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in psychology and would like […]

Sailing with old friends

Sailing with old friends

Sailing with old friends is the best because it renews ties from years ago and recalls great times on the water. Maxine and Benton Lutz drove up from Beaufort SC for dinner with Janet and George Goode. They were visiting from France. Maxine, Janet and I began at The Virginia Gazette in the early 1970s. […]

Power sailing with the Navy

Power sailing with the Navy

A power couple from Washington celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary by observing the power of the US Navy — twice. On an otherwise placid York River, I saw off in the distance the USNS Zeus proceeding slowly downriver from its home port of Cheatham Annex. That seemed odd, since the ship just returned from deployment […]

Louisville sailors

Louisville sailors

Three people who grew up together 50 years ago went on a history binge through Virginia, stopping to sail on the York River one beautiful fall afternoon. “We’ve known each other since high school in Louisville,” said Russell Wolf. “Brenda and I are still there, but Rebecca lives in Chicago,” We didn’t get much into […]

Marine Corps birthday

Marine Corps birthday

The day after the U.S. Marine Corps birthday ball Nov. 10, Adam Taylor took his girlfriend Meg Barnes sailing on the York. He’s a second lieutenant who has completed OCS and is now at TBS at Quantico for his basic officer school. “The Basic School is in Virginia, so we were invited to the Marine […]

Sailing with horses

Sailing with horses

Two couples from Texas and North Carolina found serenity on Election Day by sailing a becalmed York River in late afternoon. Janna and Michael Bartosh were vacationing in Williamsburg from Fort Worth. She’s an avid horse woman and he has followed her passion. Janna said, “I volunteer with therapy horses, working with children. It’s amazing […]

Sailing down Memory Lane

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_Lakes

Sailing on the York River brings back fond and funny cruises down Memory Lane. Sallie and Dave McLain took his parents and their daughter and her friend sailing on a beautiful fall afternoon that felt like late summer. It was Dave’s birthday present, so he ran the helm. Sallie recalled: “We were sailing at the family […]

Learning experience

Learning experience

The final WALT class of the season was a learning experience as the ultimate how-to of sailing. We covered radio transmission, safety considerations and especially the four reaches. All of us wore PFDs, five of them US Coast Guard Class I vests. They’re big and boxy but they have a head rest that will save you […]

Sailing in late fall

We combined a Lesson Cruise with an Event Cruise on a chilly fall morning that warmed as the sun rose. David Poling brought his son Mason to go over the four sail reaches that exploit the wind’s power. We zoomed down the York River on a 9 mph northeast wind that provided numerous opportunities to feel […]