35th Sail

35th Sail

Greg and Leslie Galland of Williamsburg celebrated their wedding anniversary as a 35th sail by cruising in brisk winds on the York. The 29+ mph winds of the previous day died down to a manageable 12-15, but we still had to reef both sails. We got far enough down river to see a giant oil […]

Sail Alaska

Sail Alaska

People sometimes ask, “Can you sail in Alaska?” Certainly. Tripp Wood lives in Charlotte NC and Alaska. It’s rare to find anyone who can sail Alaska. “My sons help as deck hands and first mates on our fishing charter out of Whittier, Alaska. I used to sail, and I’ve always wanted them to experience the […]

Honeymoon Cruise

Honeymoon Cruise

A newly married Pennsylvania couple in Williamsburg enjoyed a honeymoon cruise on a warm sunny day on the York River. Madison Lohr works in daycare in New Castle, where she prefers tykes over older children. Mark Mikolhoff works two jobs. “I’m a chef at Chuck Tanner’s Restaurant in New Castle, named for the Cleveland Indian […]

Sailing San Francisco Bay

Sailing San Francisco Bay

People ask, “How many couples can you take?” Three couples enjoyed unique outdoor fun near Williamsburg by sailing in a light breeze off Yorktown. The York River has never been so serene. Contrast that with the high winds and waves of San Francisco Bay, where Jim Cockrell and his wife Chris sailed years ago. Today […]

Sailing Near Dolphins

A lovely couple from Hampton Roads moved to Maryland and like to return to Williamsburg on vacation. In all those years, they hadn’t sailed the York River until now. As part of the adventure, we saw a fleeting glimpse of two or three dolphins swimming toward us. They disappeared under the hull as quickly as they surfaced. Then […]

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 […]

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 27 that I sailed down […]

Burial at Sea

Burial at Sea

  People ask, “Do you conduct burials at sea?” A funeral is hardly a fun thing to do on vacation, but it can be exciting. The Novy siblings gathered from all over the country to make the most of a melancholy situation as they buried their brother at sea. “This is the second service in […]

Sailing in Alaska

Sailing in Alaska

Dave Mrowiec never surrendered the helm when he took his wife and another couple sailing along the York River in strong winds. I’ve never seen anyone happier behind the wheel. “My father sent to me Alaska when I was 19 to work on a fishing trawler. It was 52 feet and we’d fish for salmon. […]

Soaring to Sail

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 […]