Captain's Blog

Sail cheap

Sail Cheap

Our charter company Let’s Go Sail offers a special Boat-Buyer Cruise for those inclined toward acquisition. The three-hour cruise is a challenge because the prospective buyer is often a fellow whose wife isn’t all that crazy about the idea. In fact, some women remain hell bent against it. For both

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Top Sailing Songs

Top Sailing Songs

The American Sailing Association is a venerable organization that I belong to as a professional mariner. I hold ASA credentials to teach three certified courses. Having said that, the ASA list is flawed for lacking “Sailing,” by Christopher Cross. It is the single-most mentioned song by guests at Let’s Go

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Sailing with house guests

Sailing with House Guests

I once toyed with running an ad in the Ford’s Colony community bulletin that replicated the info graphic above. It derived from a burst in activity from couples who were visiting friends in the planned community and evidently stayed too long. Normally the home couple would join them, but clearly

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Sail past Navy ships

Sail Past Navy Ships

  Nearly every week, except during the holidays, we sail past Navy ships as they ply the York River to and from Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. They arrive usually on Monday around noon and depart Thursday or Friday morning. These ships are magnificent to see coming over the eastern horizon

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Sailing into History

Sailing into History

A young man from Prescott AZ (grew up in Baltimore) brought his wife to Williamsburg for an annual trip they’ve done for years. They wanted the History Cruise, so I dove deeply in the 1781 Battle of the Capes and the Siege of Yorktown that effectively ended the Revolutionary War.

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Reasons to Go Sailing

5 Reasons to Sail

Boating season on the York River has resumed, and with it the cosmic reasons to go sailing. The romance is intrinsic, the allure irresitable, the impact powerful. People ask, “What’s the allure of sailing?” Pick up any boating magazine and look at the full-page ads. They often depict a fast

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Fisahing & Sailing

Sailing & Fishing

There are two kinds of boating that are mutually discrete: Sailing & Fishing. I refer people all the time to my colleagues at York River Yacht Haven who offer fishing charters. But occasionally someone will ask if they can try fishing off the back of the boat. It’s tricky because

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Sailing Do's & Don't's

Endless Summer

Here it is almost October and we’re still swimming in the York River. An ambitious family from Raleigh NC took advantage of a lull in the wind to jump off the boat on a beautiful Indian summer afternoon. The water is still 80 degrees, so why not? Also on board

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Grounded!

Grounded Off NC Coast

People ask, “What’s it like to run aground?” Awful, actually. My friend Tom Byrd was vacationing in Corolla NC when he spotted this 40-ish sailboat grounded off the NC coast. Unlike Nags Head farther south where the riptides rip, Corolla is known to be very shallow along the water. That’s

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Anniversary Cruise

Anniversary Cruise

After a rainout one afternoon, a couple from Hampton went out for an evening sailing cruise to celebrate their anniversary. Kelly Anderson is in the Air Force at nearby Langley Air Force Base, where she works on the ground with the planes. Keisha Pexton is director of training at Newport

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