Captain's Blog

How Do They Get on the Sailboat?

How Do They Get on the Sailboat?

This ridiculous picture is from Willoughby Harbor Marina in Norfolk. The place has seen better days, having been battered by a few hurricanes and numerous nor’easters over the years. The photo lends new meaning to the term boat slip. I teach at Willoughby for the American Sailing Association, and their

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Sailing Teamwork

Sailing Teamwork

A Portsmouth couple bought a 27 Seward to dock near their house. Then they set out to learn how to sail as a team by mastering a Capri 22 through ASA SailTime Virginia Beach. So began four outings in three days of sailing teamwork. Days 1 and 2 were compounded

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American Revolution in Art

American Revolution in Art

Next time you visit the U.S. Capitol Building, stand in the massive Rotunda and you will be surrounded by eight historical paintings. Revolutionary War veteran John Trumbull painted four of them, including the British surrender at Yorktown, (which figures big on the History Cruise of Let’s Go Sail.) In “Of Arms and

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How Sailing Charter Started

How Charter Sailing Started

Special to the KCSA Bulletin In retirement, Kingsmill resident Bill O’Donovan has pursued a charter boat business to share the joy of sailing. It all started on the beach of Kingsmill years ago when Bill and Bonnie Tully met. “He took me out one afternoon on a 14-foot Sunfish, and

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Big Winds, Big Noise by Navy

Big Winds, Big Noise by Navy

Big winds for days suddenly calmed by the time Debbie Kremer of Arizona brought her beau Bob Wickley of San Antonio to sail the York River. We quietly tacked back and forth near Yorktown and got under the Coleman Bridge before mild winds clocked northwest and picked up sharply. For

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Sailing Past a Navy Freighter

Sailing Past a Navy Freighter

Monday’s sail was canceled due to high winds, a first. Tuesday’s sail presented stiff winds but more easily managed by reefing the main and keeping the Genoa furled. Longtime civic activist Margaret Fowler brought two friends from Southern California who were visiting Williamsburg so they could experience the excitement of

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Returning Sailors Conquer the York

Returning Sailors Conquer the York

Two couples returned from last year for exciting spring sailing on the York River. Carol Logue and John Campbell were looking for big winds and they got it. Winds blowing to 20+ required reefing the main and the jib. Carol reminded me that John is a retired music teacher who

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Giant Cranes Delivered

Giant Cranes Delivered

Philadelphia had a big winter with the Eagles winning the Super Bowl and Villanova winning the NCAA basketball crown. Here’s more big news: an extraordinary video of two “post- Panamax” gantry cranes delivered to the Port of Philadelphia. Post-Panamax refers to the mega-ship that can navigate the wider Panama Canal.

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Sailing the York, Recalling the Navy

Sailing the York, Recalling the Navy

John Wilson of Virginia Beach took a break studying for his Virginia bar exam by taking four of his five children sailing on the York River. They arrived at a sunny and very breezy marina, and everyone donned life preservers. During the sail, the kids alternated going up on the

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Correcting 6 Myths A bout Sailing

Correcting 6 Myths About Sailing

HARD TO LEARN—This is a hardy chestnut promoted by motorboat dudes, for whom heavy lifting comprises a case of beer. In fact, sailing is easy to learn because the principals are fairly straightforward. Once you realize how the wind affects the sail, it seems quite logical. There is a certain

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