Sailing Near the Navy
A dreary day on the York River perked up with the siting of an exceptional Navy ship. It was quite an adventure. Amy and John McCarthy took a long-awaited sail with their daughter C.C. and her boyfriend Chris Coe, in town from Ketchum, Idaho. C.C. sailed competitively in high school, so she had no trouble […]
Happiness on a sailboat
Happiness on a sailboat comes in many forms. There is first of all the sheer joy of running a boat on the wind. With a few minutes training behind the wheel, anyone can enjoy the sensation of guiding a sailboat through the waves. Boats steer like cars except that the “wheels” are in the back […]
Sailing on Three Anniversaries
By coincidence, three couples from Chesapeake, Williamsburg and Minneapolis celebrated by sailing the York River. They were followed by two college chums. Rebekah and Jonathan Macalvey got married three years ago after meeting on duty in Afghanistan. She’s a physician’s assistant in the Navy and he’s a SEAL with 20 years in. Rebekah said, “I’m on […]
Sailboat Essentials
One of the most frequent questions fielded by Let’s Go Sail is, “What should I wear?” Here are the sailboat essentials for a day’s adventure on vacation. The easy answer in summer is whatever you have on for the day in the way of shorts and shirt, plus a hat and sunscreen. Temperatures out on […]
Living and Boating Along the Intercoastal
An experienced boating couple who spent decades on various cruisers and motor yachts got to go sailing for the first time. Charles Grimes took Tammy Bell and her parents JoAnne and Tom Bell sailing on the York River, and they loved it. The Bells found it exciting in a brisk wind of 15 mph that […]
Weathering a Hurricane
When he published “Travels with Charley” in 1962, John Steinbeck was arguably the most famous living author in America. His bestsellers traced American society during the mid-century in “The Grapes of Wrath,” “Cannery Row” and “East of Eden,” among other books. Before he set out to see the country, Steinbeck had to prepare his […]
Easter Weekend Sailing
Three families from Pennsylvania and Virginia enjoyed Easter Weekend sailing and outdoor fun off Yorktown. Winds on the York River were a brisk 10-15 mph, making it a challenge both days to keep the sailboat heeling between 10 and 15 degrees. Many enjoyed hanging out on the bow, where the views and the experience are […]
Sailing into USCG Smoke
While sailing the York River with Kevin and Jennifer Brown and their children, we spotted a rare exercise by the US Coast Guard of deploying flares and smoke simultaneously. It was very dramatic and colorful and lasted all of a minute. The exercise is rare on the York River because the very sight of the bright […]
Ultimate Guide to Sailing
While vacationing in Williamsburg, Colleen McGowan thought it would be fun for her children to test the waters of Virginia. “They’ve grown up on boats, ever since they were babies. But they’re never been on a sailboat, so I thought they should learn. I have a 28 Silverton that we run in New Jersey. It’s […]
Missiles Come from Yorktown
It’s debatable if President Trump should have ordered 59 Tomahawk missiles fired into a military airbase in Syria. Early reactions are that it was a good strategic move for the gas attacks on civilians. One can also debate whether he has the authority in such an adventure, though LBJ set that precedent in the Gulf […]
Growing Up Cruising on Chesapeake Bay
Everyone has a recollection about their childhood boating experiences. Valerie Axel recalls fondly growing up on Chesapeake Bay as a continuous adventure. She related her story while sailing the York River with her husband Neil on a magnificent spring afternoon. “We spent the summers cruising the Bay in my father’s 48-foot Chris Craft. He was […]
5 Lessons Learned Sailing on the York
Having not sailed since he was 14, Scott Lints took his wife and four children sailing on the York River while on vacation. He did quite well, thank you. Here are a few lessons learned from his big adventure. Always steer directly into the wind to raise the sails, less pressure. In rising winds, start with […]
12 Secrets to Ocean Sailing with Kids
Repeat customers are a joy because they were obviously pleased the adventure the first time. This time, two teachers from Central Virginia went sailing with a vengeance because he’s about to go to sea. And today was his birthday. Robert and Elizabeth Hale-MacKinnon teach eighth and fourth grade respectively at the Charlottesville Waldorf School, in the Montessori […]
Best Quick Guide to Cayman Paradise
We returned to Grand Cayman after an earlier vacation, looking for relaxation and the Caribbean sunsets. Every day is sunny, warm and breezy, comparable to perhaps 30 days all year in Tidewater Virginia. No wonder people flock here from Ohio, Canada, Germany, Poland, you name it. There are no panhandlers, no crime, no police sirens, […]
Belonging to the Army
With great anticipation, a large area behind the $50 million American Revolution Museum at Yorktown opens shortly as a reproduced army camp, complete with female interpreters. They cooked, cleaned and cared for the troops. The following excerpt from Holly A. Mayer’s “Belonging to the Army: Camp Followers and Community during the American Revolution,” introduces the different […]
Best Kids Ever Sailing
I’ve taken thousands of people sailing over the years, including hundreds of children. These were the best kids ever sailing for reasons that are at once obvious and mysterious. Jonathan and Rebecca Torres were vacationing in Williamsburg from Sanford, Florida. Their children range in ages 8, 7, 7 (twins) and 6. It was chilly, so […]
Sailing Past Navy Destroyer
While on a weekend getaway from Washington, DC, Dave Ramish took his girlfriend Ilana Freedman sailing for some outdoor fun off Yorktown. They hit the jackpot by observing a rare Saturday departure of a Navy warship from the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. We set out with anticipation after a chilly, drizzly morning into clearing […]
Season Opener
People ask, “How early does the season beging?” We begin in mid-March for hardy sailors who can tolerate the chill on the water. For the season opener of Let’s Go Sail in 2017, Hannah and Jeff Davis drove up from the Danville area of Virginia to take their daughter Haylee and her friend Bella sailing […]
Oyster harvest comes up short
Commuters from Gloucester County who were headed south on the Coleman Bridge this week could look up the York River and see dozens of deadrise workboats clustered offshore. Watermen were out in force after opening day Jan. 1 of oyster rock season. By Wednesday the fleet had thinned as pickings were slim. Dickie Owens of […]
Power sailing with the Navy
A power couple from Washington celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary by observing the power of the US Navy — twice. On an otherwise placid York River, I saw off in the distance the USNS Zeus proceeding slowly downriver from its home port of Cheatham Annex. That seemed odd, since the ship just returned from deployment […]