Sailing with horses
Two couples from Texas and North Carolina found serenity on Election Day by sailing a becalmed York River in late afternoon. Janna and Michael Bartosh were vacationing in Williamsburg from Fort Worth. She’s an avid horse woman and he has followed her passion. Janna said, “I volunteer with therapy horses, working with children. It’s amazing […]
Learning experience
The final WALT class of the season was a learning experience as the ultimate how-to of sailing. We covered radio transmission, safety considerations and especially the four reaches. All of us wore PFDs, five of them US Coast Guard Class I vests. They’re big and boxy but they have a head rest that will save you […]
Sailing in late fall
We combined a Lesson Cruise with an Event Cruise on a chilly fall morning that warmed as the sun rose. David Poling brought his son Mason to go over the four sail reaches that exploit the wind’s power. We zoomed down the York River on a 9 mph northeast wind that provided numerous opportunities to feel […]
Sailing home to Virginia
Is it possible to lose a southern accent? Carolyn and Steven Wrench retired from their respective jobs in Minneapolis this summer and immediately went traveling. She grew up in Front Royal in Northern Virginia, and they have lived in Minnesota for 35 years. She had a discernible Midwestern accent, but not too flat. Carolyn took the […]
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 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 […]
Perfect boating scenario
I get a lot of men sailing on the York River who want to buy a sailboat, but they lack the perfect boating scenario. Inevitably their wives are opposed for various reasons of cost, aggravation, time away from her, etc. My typical response is to focus on time and money. Unless you have easy access to […]
Sailing Chesapeake Bay
Living in Williamsburg affords many delights, including myriad courses offered by the Christopher Wren Association. I wound up sailing Chesapeake Bay with a lecture about the eco-system by Dan Summers, director of learning at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News. The contour of the Bay was formed 35 million years ago when a meteor […]
Sailing to a heart attack
Sue and Bob Malinowski came to Williamsburg from Orland Park IL and took a spontaneous cruise on the York River. On a brisk and beautiful afternoon, Sue took the helm and quickly learned to sail. “Oh wow, this is amazing. I had no idea it’s so easy.” She had the boat heeling to 10 degrees […]
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 past Busch Gardens
Every year Busch Gardens in Williamsburg ramps up in the fall for a massive theme of Hallow Scream. Before they went sailing on the York River, Tina Herald and Chris Lawrence were in the park the previous evening as the cast began to set up and rehearse. They regaled me with this: “All of sudden […]
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 […]
Sailing with the Air Force
After Hurricane Matthew, it took two days for the winds to return to normal. Grace and Jim Christy live near the marina of Governor’s Land on the James River, and decided to see if the other river had any wind. It did. With Grace on the helm, we tacked down the York River eight times […]
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 with the sheriff
After five days of rain and otherwise bleak weather, we wound up sailing with the sheriff and his wife, with a delightful conversation. The skies finally cleared and the winds rose to near whitecaps on a beautiful late summer day Mary and Duke Donnelly came to Williamsburg on vacation from Bucks County PA, one of […]
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 […]