onger 
Twice in one day, Navy warships departed the Naval Weapons Station at Yorktown and sailed out to sea. First came the USS Mahan, followed two hours later by the USS Mitscher. In the first case, the Coleman Bridge once again got stuck at the closing and took an extra ten minutes. Didn’t see what happened in the latter transit.
Divergent Sailors
Couples always enjoy sailing, some so much that they take it up. That sort of happened with Glenn Shiple and his gal Julie Lupkin, from Richmond. He enjoyed winds of 10-5 mph that had the boat heeling to 20 degrees. It was exhilarating to all on board except Julie. I asked her afterward what she thought, and she said quite evenly, “I will never again set foot on a sailboat.”
I knew she had vertigo, but there was more to the story as relayed by our other guest, Dianne Graham:
Please do not be offended by Julie’s comments. In my conversation with her, I learned that:
(1) she never did like sailing
(2) due to vertigo, she can only sit at the back of a boat, facing forward. She knows how to deal with that and never did experience any vertigo or nausea, yesterday.
(3) she developed a herniated disk a few months ago, so every time the boat heeled, it caused her to change position, which aggravated her back. That is why she only wanted level sailing with little to no heeling. Maybe a motorboat on a calm lake would better suit her.
Old Salt
Brothers Bill and Don Sensenig diverged from New Hampshire and Chicago to visit their 84-year-old father Bill Sr., who lives in nearby Irvington. They grew up sailing under his tutelage and hadn’t forgotten a thing. Lucky for us, the wind was blowing a steady 15 mph out of the west on a sunny day, allowing us to zoom out the York River and into Chesapeake Bay as far as buoy G-21.
“I used to sail a Mariner 36 and then finished up with a 40-foot Island Packet,” Bill Sr. recalled. On the longer boat, I singlehanded the Delmarva Circumnavigation. I set out from the C&D Canal and got to Norfolk in 24 hours. I was supposed to rest overnight, but I kept going and got back the next day.
“At night, I saw a big boat out there with huge wings. It turned out to be a fishing rig. I was headed right for it, so I tried to disengage my autohelm, but it was stuck. Then I cut off all electrical power at the circuit breaker, and that did it. Managed to avoid the rig. I also saw an aircraft carrier out there.”
All three took the helm over the course of four hours. Bill Sr. topped out at 16.6 mph and heeling to 32 degrees. He was having the time of his life as he and his sons recollected earlier sails as boys. We made it all the way out to G-21 in the York Channel headed to Norfolk.
The next day, Bill Jr. wrote a stunning review: Living far from dad makes visits difficult. Being able to roll back all the years since last time the three of us sailed together has provided a very special memory that will be deeply cherished. Your low-key approach to the day made it even better. Thanks. again.
Women enjoy sailing today more than ever, and particularly a romantic cruise. Couples get to enjoy a romantic getaway as they sit up on the bow for privacy, and Let’s Go Sail provides professional photos for free. First-time or skilled mariners are welcome to sail a modern-32-foot sailboat in a unique setting of wildlife and Fall foliage or Spring bloom. It makes for an extraordinary anniversary idea.
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