Within 72 hours of Opening Day for 2025, two Moran tugboats lumbered up the York River from Norfolk Naval Base. Half an hour later, a family of five from Chicago got to see the rare sight of a US Navy destroyer transit the Coleman Bridge toward the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station.
The Lorber family was dazzled at the sight of the USS McFaul, some 505 feet long with 100-plus crew. Dozens of them lined the rails for a photo op. We were lucky to beat the forecasted rain to see the transit. On the way back, their three children ages 5, 9 and 12 got to sit on the bow cushion to guide us in to port. They did a good job, and nearly ran off with their lifejackets still on. Wait! Wait! Everyone laughed.
Maine Sailing
Two couples from New York City and Chicago met as we sailed on a crisp, cool day. The wind started out slow and picked up to 10 mph. Both fellows seemed to be attorneys – tax attorneys at that. This kind of coincidence happens every week.
Elliott Barron was taking his gal Alexandra Clark on an Appreciation Cruise. She was the only sailor in the mix, having spent summers in Maine on all kinds of boats while racing Optis and 410s. She enjoyed the relative safety of the York River, with modest current and no rocks or shoals below.
“One time, I was sailing with my parents on their boat near Arcadia National Park. You have to deal with ocean current, a jagged coast, seaweed and rocks.
“But the worst was fog. It was so bad one night that they put me up on the bow with a flashlight to spot lobster pots. Suddenly we came upon a set of rocks. I looked up and saw pine trees on top of a cliff!”
During the day, she raced in a fleet of smaller boats and constantly got wet from the spray and tipping into the cold ocean. “We had 27 boats in the fleet, making it the largest IOD outside of Europe.” That’s International One Design.
The couple live in a small apartment downtown in the Financial District of New York. Alex said, “It’s only one bedroom, but it’s on a second floor overlooking the living room as a sort of loft.” I asked the rent. “$5,600, but we have friends around the corner who pay $8,000.”
I asked them about conversion projects in the city, which is challenging since NYC code requires at least one window for every bedroom. Elliott said, “In one instance, they took an office building and stripped off the façade to replace it entirely with glass. Two sides actually.”
The other couple brought along their two boys, who were precious. They much enjoyed sitting up on the bow cushion.
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.
Carnegie Hall
The Thorn family of Richmond returned for the second year. This time, Michael and Amanda brought their daughter Kaelee and his mother Judy, who helmed the entire day to great effect. The winds were a strong 12-15 out of the southwest, gusting to 20. Judy held her own.
Kaelee is a sophomore in high school who recently played Carnegie Hall. “I’m with an honors band that draws from all over. I got to play two solos on oboe.” I asked about backstage. “Well, every backstage is messy. We were taken inside and hustled into an elevator where we went up to the fifth floor green room. On stage was very big, and the acoustics were wonderful.” Imagine that atop her college application.
FEMA Sailing
Another family went sailing on another warm, breezy spring day for a mother/daughter birthday outing.
Lorenzo Leon served in the 101st Airborne in Afghanistan and now works for FEMA. “I was in the artillery for 10 months and then as an Infantry soldier for six months. We got hit pretty bad in the southern sector. At one time, 75% of the patients at Walter Reed came from our sector.”
We sent his two young sons up to the bow to enjoy the view from the cushion. Lorenzo likes FEMA and isn’t too concerned about the Trump cuts. “If they do it properly based on performance, I’ll be fine. We train people in rescue, logistics, legal, etc. It’s just like the Army, but I don’t have to carry a gun.”
Lorenzo covers Virginia, but it’s odd. “All those floods in the western part of the state don’t meet the federal threshold of $7 million damage for each event. But in Northern Virginia,” he snapped his fingers, “that’s gone.”
What’s the difference between the two Airborne Divisions? “The 82nd is for parachuting into a drop site, usually from a C-130 cargo plane. The 101st does repelling out of helicopters. That was us. The 82nd is probably bigger because it’s older.”
We sailed fast into the horizon, quietly with no gunfire.
Family Sailing
Three generations of a Gulfport MS family enjoyed sailing the York River on a sunny but chilly April Fools Day. We saw a cruise ship, USCG Coasties in training, and an eagle fighting with two osprey.
Grandpa Tom Ricks yielded the helm to his daughter Sarah Cullinane and her husband Russ, both of whom topped 15 mph as their young children played together.
Tom said, “I’m a retired veterinarian, and I miss it. I still keep my hand in it at University of Southern Mississippi, where I look after the small animals to make sure we don’t run afoul of the USDA for dangerous treatments.” As it happened, I caught 30 squirrels this winter as well as four possums. I wondered if they carried rabies. “No, you can’t catch that from a possum. In fact, you can catch more diseases from humans than animals — except for rabies, of course.”
Russ is an ICU hospitalist physician at UMS Hospital. “We have about 30 patients anytime in the ICU. I used to alternate one week there and one week at the Pulmonary Clinic, but now I spend most of my time in the ICU.” I was confused about respiratory vs. pulmonary, and he set me straight. “Respiratory is a function while pulmonary is a system.”
We talked about the difficulties of Covid. “We had so many patients who needed to be intubated that we ran out of people to do it. The anesthetists agreed to help, but they found it very difficult and gave it up as too risky.”
The best Williamsburg boat tour offers safe sailing daily for up to 6 people. It’s an extraordinary experience for couples. Leave your worries behind. Enjoy the thrill of moving with the wind without a care in the world. Put life back on an even keel with a romantic experience for a birthday or anniversary. 3-hour sailboat cruise as a semi-private yachting charter lets you exhale and relax as you enjoy comfort, stability and speed.
Let’s Go Sail
Check the “Book A Cruise” tab and pick a day for a sailboat charter. Scroll down reviews on Trip Advisor. Go back to the home page of Williamsburg Charter Sails.
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