Boarding El Galeon
Hundreds of visitors to Yorktown have been boarding the Spanish replica El Galeon Andalucia for self-guided tours. It’s called El Galeon for short and its home port is Seville. The ship spent the summer touring the Great Lakes and most recently sailed in from Long Island, where thousands of New Yorkers boarded for a look above and […]
Sailing for serenity
After a breathtaking day of sailing for speed in brisk winds, the skies darkened with clouds and we wound up sailing for serenity on calm seas. As the wind picked up slowly the conversation picked up quickly. Bobby Joe and Nan Nay operate a cattle farm in Panguith, 8,000 feet high in the mountains of […]
Sailing for speed
We got the sail of a lifetime on a brisk morning breeze coming out of the northeast. Luis and Spring Aponte came from Ft. Eustis to celebrate their eighth wedding anniversary. Spring took the wheel once Luis and I set the mainsail. Before long we got up to 10 mph, and then we rolled out […]
Classy sailors take to the water
Sam Scovill was among the students in the 16th annual fall sailing class offered by the Williamsburg Area Learning Tree through Williamsburg Charter Sails. Students typically come to class with little experience, but not so here. “Last week I helped a guy bring his 50-foot sailboat down from Annapolis to Hampton. I hadn’t sailed in […]
Hailing France 235 years later
Blandinnd David Posiadala took their toddler daughters as well Blandine’s parents sailing along the York River on a magnificent early fall afternoon. The Posiadalas live in the Ft. Meyers area of Florida and the parents are from Paris. The girls enjoyed sitting in the small catbird seats. It was a delight to convey to them the […]
Sailing the Great Lakes
The York River is pretty big and the Chesapeake Bay is large, but there is nothing like sailing the Great Lakes. They are veritable oceans. Mary and Mike Wlodarski were vacationing in Williamsburg from Naperville, Illinois, so they went sailing on the York with another couple to celebrate Mary’s birthday. Naturally he recalled harrowing sailing […]
Scouting the Carolinas for sailing
Hurricane Matthew was unusual for how the damage occurred. Typically a hurricane batters the coast and diminishes as it heads inland. In this case, the outer bands of rain pummeled central North and South Carolina with up to 9 inches of rain, cutting off roads with high water that crested to 28 feet above normal […]
The sheer adventure of exciting sailing
Nancy and Mark Clark of Leander, Texas, visited Williamsburg and took their first sail on a very brisk York River. Mild winds from the northeast got stronger as we ventured out toward the Chesapeake Bay. Whitecaps began to show at 10 mph, and the seas built to 3 feet as neared Goodwin Island. The couple […]
Sailing past a submarine
Two couples who’ve been married for decades celebrated their anniversaries by sailing past a submarine during their vacation to Williamsburg. Lisa Kuert surprised her husband Paul on their 35th. “I had no idea where she was taking me,” he said. “I had sandals on so I figured it couldn’t be too dangerous, like rock climbing.” […]
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 27 that I sailed down […]
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 freighter was making weigh while […]
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 of leukemia.” I asked about […]
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 Mesa Verde is an amphibious […]
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 to rent a boat. Carlos […]
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 childhood. “When I was a […]
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 other couples liked the idea […]
Sailing with Sturgeon
The Hasz family was fully aware of the need for lifejackets because the waters of the York River are still cold. Tamara and Eric Hasz were in Williamsburg from Northern Wisconsin, where they live near Lake Winnebago. “It’s 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, but only 15 feet deep,” Eric said. They took their […]
Sailing with warships
Three couples went sailing near Williamsburg on the York River and wound up sailing with warships, metaphorically and literally. Steady winds on a bright sunny day rocked the boat from side to side, which formed a context to show how the man-of-war battleships coped in the Battle of the Capes. You can’t shoot your cannons […]
Sailing with Racing Dogs
On a day of coincidental birthdays, we went sailing with racing dogs. Beverly Jackson of Baltimore took her husband Thomas out on an afternoon cruise along the York River. Michel Gauthier did likewise for his wife Valerie. The couple lives in the small village of Casselman in eastern Ontario. Valerie said, “We live on 47 […]
Memories of Far Away
Sailing brings out childhood memories of far away. Steve and Colleen Hamlin of nearby Suffolk took their children on a local vacation to see the Williamsburg sights. They went sailing along the York River the day after Tropical Storm Hermine blew through, so the winds were brisk and steady. Their son Tyler had experience […]