They flew from Philadelphia
Thew flew from Philadelphia

People ask, “Does everyone drive to get here?” Ed Bender flew his wife Susan down from Philadelphia on his private plane so they could stay at a Yorktown B&B and go sailing along the York River. They got married last June and wanted to renew their skills on how to sail.

She grew up sailing in New Jersey on Barnegat Bay and the Toms River but was apprehensive about her skills. “He’s never seen me sail before, and he’s such a perfectionist.” (Which is what you want in an airplane pilot.) Susan did fine on all three points of reach, and they both had a relaxing time. “It’s like flying,” Ed said of sailing. “It really clears your head.”

Ospreys Return

A new dayThe osprey are returning and the sailboats are going out on the York River as spring finally arrives in Virginia. It’s still 10 degrees cooler on the water than inland, but it’s great to be back on a sunny day. In March and April, we need light winds and clear skies so the sun can shine down.

A new dayThe osprey are remarkable builders. They can construct a nest in less than a week with nothing but available sticks on the ground. One day we drive past a daymark and see nothing. The next day, half a nest has already gone up. Sometimes the osprey abandon those nests for better quarters. Daymark 2 at the opening of Sarah Creek is notorious for shabby nests on otherwise perfect platform. Kind of a waste of valuable real estate. 

The nearby Virginia Institute of Marine Science does extensive studies of osprey. They used to have a camera affixed to a nest on the Coleman Bridge. Their most famous video shows a baby osprey caught up in a plastic bag — in the nest.

Let’s Go Sail on a New Day

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a new day a new day

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