Sailing Like Ike
Students in Sail Time’s basic sailing course ventured out of Willoughby Bay into the James River, past the USS Eisenhower. The aircraft carrier was back in port after eight sailors were injured in March when the arresting gear on the flight deck snapped during a routing landing of a jet fighter. I once had a […]
Ninth Anniversary Sail
Having never been to Williamsburg before, Brian and Meg Scoggins of Chattanooga set out on a ninth anniversary sail by venturing out on the historic York River in brisk winds rising to 15 mph. Brian had never sailed before, but he had gained some visual experience playing Empire Total War. That’s a popular video game that assigns […]
Testing Oneself Under Sail
You never know what your limits are for personal endurance, and sailing under extreme conditions is one test. So is joining the US Marine Corps. Kyle Turrentine of Roanoke went sailing on the York River on a crisp and sunny spring day with his fiancé Pauline Ferguson. He was content to sit quietly, having […]
Sailing Psychology
First-time sailors encounter different reactions based on their life experience, and it takes a little sailing psychology to figure it out. Golfers are better at the helm than tennis players. Men prefer the helm over women because they tend to be more adventurous and risk-prone. Dancers are better than singers. And so on with other […]
Soaring to Sail
While out cruising the York River, people on my boat are intrigued by the three-masted schooner Alliance, which is another way visitors go soaring to sail. “Is that your competition?” they ask. In fact, I have 76 competitors because that’s the number of things to do in Williamsburg according to Trip Advisor. (I’m No. 30 overall and […]
Teachers Sail
Two school teachers from Sunfield, Michigan went on their first extensive sailboat trip by venturing out into the York River on a warm and windy spring afternoon. Because the winds were coming from the south, we were able to cut through the waves and reach the “lee shore,” next to the Yorktown Battlefield, where the […]
Mother & Daughter Sail
Lidia Berger of Alexandria, Virginia, took time out from her engineering/architecture job to take her mother and daughter sailing on the York River near Williamsburg. She is pictured sitting with Nicole on the bow of the sailboat, with the Coleman Bridge in the background. As an engineer, Lidia was intrigued that the span swing sideways […]
Sailing to William & Mary
Angela Goodhart brought two of her children from Northern Virginia to Williamsburg to show her daughter the College of William & Mary as a potential applicant. Angela is a W&M alumna from the 1980s who majored in business. She was impressed by the size and scope of the Mason School and the School of Education, […]
Old Friends Sailing
Claire Fortier took her partner Maria Pialeat and one of their grown children and his girlfriend sailing on a brisk afternoon along the York River. Claire was an editor colleague of mine at The Virginia Gazette who wound up in California editing the South Lake Tahoe Tribune, where she also was elected to […]
