Captain's Blog

Sailing from Annapolis to Florida

Sailing from Annapolis to Florida

I picked up a hitchhiker named John who was headed to an auto parts store. “I’m looking to fashion a gasket for my fuel pump. I found a leak in the line and have pumped the manual pump to death. It’s for an Atomic Four gasoline engine in my Catalina

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The ride of their lives

Two couples from Florida got the ride of their lives in 20 mph winds along the York River. For safety’s sake  I had everyone suit up in Class I life preservers. Johnny Motoc held the helm throughout. Under a reefed mainsail we plowed out toward the oil terminal, where one

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With charity toward motorcycles

While sailing near Williamsburg, we got to talking about business and charity. Lucinda Lobach  is a partner in 21 Red Robin restaurants in Pennsylvania. “I’m proud to say that since 2010 our Red Robins are proud to have donated $500,000 toward the support of research on leukemia. My brother died

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All the ships at sea

All the Ships at Sail

People ask, “What’s it like to see a Navy ship come close?” With a retired US Coast Guard admiral on board, we encountered all the ships at sea beginning with the big one. The USS Mesa Verde rolled past us as we exited Sarah Creek into the York River. The

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Enjoy a birthday sail

Unexpected sailing lesson

What started out as one couple going out for a cruise on the York River turned into an unexpected sailing lesson. Chris Loving and his girlfriend Krysten Scafe drove in from Richmond for a quite sail. While waiting for them in the ships store, a couple approached who were looking

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Sailing with the authorities

Sailing with the authorities

What could be more fun than sailing with the authorities, namely police and prosecutors? Trish and Joe Froelich joined Jean and Art Hall for an afternoon of smooth sailing on the York River in rising breezes. Once out of the channel and on the water, Trish was confronted by her

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Sailing with a Captain

Sail with a Captain

Guests who hire skippered boats need to beware unscrupulous boat captains, which is to say those who are not accredited by the US Coast Guard. The following well-written scenario is from the USCG Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis in a new safety alert dated June 9. It was forwarded

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Sailing to Maine

Sailing to Maine

Two couples who’ve known each other since the 1970s went sailing along the York River and wound up sailing to Maine. Jim and JoAnn Giesen of Williamsburg hosted Jan and Pers Jonas, who coincidentally live in York, Maine. I was explaining how the current of our York can run to

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The Internal Enemy

The Internal Enemy

Alan Taylor’s “The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832” addresses the complex subject of slavery in a state dedicated to liberty while still enslaving two-fifths of the population. In 1775 the last royal governor, Lord Earl Dunmore, freed the slaves provided they would fight for the British. While the majority

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She said yes on the bow of the boat

Reggie Holmes took his girlfriend Lea Diggs sailing on the York River to propose marriage, and she said yes on the bow of the boat. The plan was to bring two couples along to witness the occasion. We sailed for an hour, exchanging stories and moving about the boat. The

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