Captain's Blog

Measuring a New Sail

Measuring a New Sail

Here’s how to measure a sail for replacement. The easy fix is to measure the old sail, but that’s flawed by stretching and shrinking. Plus all three corners have to be pulled tight to get the truth. The only accurate way is to measure the mast and boom. Even then,

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Sailing with a Rescue Dog

Sailing with a Rescue Dog

A young couple from metro New York took their friends sailing on the York River along with their dog Liberty. Meg Kelly said, “Liberty is mix of lab, boxer, pit bull and more. We’re not sure exactly because she’s a rescue dog. We thought of getting a second dog and

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Correcting 6 Myths About Sailing

Sailing with a Navy Vet

To narrate the Battle of the Capes, I pick out a sailboat in the distance that’s moving at a right angle to us. The idea is to show the “vanguard” strategy of how ships fought at sea in the 18th century. Reggie Jackson went sailing with family and friends along

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Sailing with Old Salts

Sailing with Old Salts

Two experienced sailors on two separate sails proved that you don’t have to teach any tricks to a not-so-old salt. Linda Mauer visited the Williamsburg area with her husband and wanted to get back into sailing after 20 years. “I worked in SAR with the Coast Guard years ago,” she

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Baptism of Sail Spray

Baptism of Sail Spray

  A couple from Northern Virginia came to Williamsburg for the weekend to go sailing for the first time. They wound up getting a baptism of sail spray. Julie Koontz gave her husband Mike a unique birthday present of sailing the York River. On a bright, sunny day with steady

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A Revolution in Color

A Revolution in Color

Jane Kamensky’s, “A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley,” paints a vivid portrait of the artist during the Revolutionary period. Best known for his portraits of Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, John Singleton Copley did not share their revolutionary zeal.In the aftermath of the Boston

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Sailing with Widows

Sailing with Widows

A most unusual party of women went sailing on a bright and breezy day on the York River. Sarah Merwin said, “We are with a nonprofit that supports spouses who have lost a loved one in the military. Not all of us here are widows, some are friends and supporters.”

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50 Shades of Improved Ego

Sailing Past 2 Navy Ships

ai Monday is often arrival day for warships transiting from Norfolk Naval Base to Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. A family visiting Williamsburg from the Finger Lakes region of New York rode out on Sarah Creek in great anticipation. Right away we ran into a pod of dolphins in the creek.

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Landlubbers Learn Sailing

Landlubbers Learn Sailing

  A lovely couple from landlocked Staunton, Virginia, came to Let’s Go Sail on a beautiful Friday to learn the fundamentals. Kelly and Todd Armentrout once sailed on a Hobie Cat and found they love the idea of being out on the water, in the elements of the wind. They

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BUI Boating Guide

Boating BUI Guide

Boating and sailing are primarily leisure activities, and many people thus treat it differently than driving a car. For anyone operating the boat, however, the responsibilities should be taken seriously. This is especially so when it comes to drinking or using drugs. The operator of a boat or a jet

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