Old Friends Sailing
Claire Fortier took her partner Maria Pialeat and one of their grown children and his girlfriend sailing on a brisk afternoon along the York River. Claire was an editor colleague of mine at The Virginia Gazette who wound up in California editing the South Lake Tahoe Tribune, where she also was elected to […]
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 past a Submarine
Submarines that are partially surfaced are hard to see, especially when they’re in dock. Sailing past a submarine can therefore be tricky. Arelene and Marvin Birnbaum enjoy the great outdoors by camping. They live in the Hudson Valley of New York and thought they’d take a crack at sailing, since they live near the river […]
Sailing Home
Five decades removed from where I grew up, we ventured back to go sailing home. Bonnie and I met our younger daughter Wendy in New York for three days of touring that included a day in the suburbs of Westchester. Wendy was in town from Denver to deliver a talk to the Queens Dental Society, […]
Toy Boat at Sea
A toy boat launched in the Atlantic Ocean by South Carolina school students has reached the coast of Wales, after a stopover in Bermuda. The Royal Gazette reports that the Carolina Dreamer was built by the St. Andrew’s School of Math & Science in Charleston and fitted with a GPS tracker. The little vessel went […]
Sailing in Charlotte Harbor
Bonnie and I toured South Florida off the Gulf of Mexico to pursue charter and teaching opportunities. We sent sailing in Charlotte Harbor and fell upon Let’s Go Sailing Englewood, which closely resembles my brand Let’s Go Sail Williamsburg. This excursion was the highlight of our ten-day trip. Capt. Levi provided us a low-key, superior sail […]
Sailing through Grade School
Here’s an idea from San Francisco about sailing through grade school that would work well on the York River, or any river large enough for small boats. Thousands of fourth graders enjoying a new twist on science and math lessons while learning basic principles of sailing as part of Set Sail Learn. It’s billed as […]
Success Story Sailing
Phyllis Glass of Columbia, PA, was sailing with us with her husband Gary. She recalled a harrowing counterpoint. “Our daughter-in-law is a parole officer for juveniles in Lancaster. They had to move her from an office in the courthouse to the school so she could be closer to the parolees. She wears a bulletproof vest.” […]
Wedding Under Sail
I get asked a lot, “Do you do weddings on board?” Brandon Marks wanted to surprise his fiancé Addie Misnier with a unique wedding venue. She always wanted to go sailing, so he chose the waters of the York River. The ceremony was performed by Pastor Chris and witnessed by Addie’s best friend Katherine. Then […]
Sailing Past William & Mary
Dan and Catherine Marino of Chatham NJ took their family sailing near Williamsburg before their older daughter Juliana toured the College of William & Mary. She’s looking at the club sailing team, having developed experience on 420s with her sister Marisa. We sailed past the Marine Science School of William & Mary. The small boats […]
Special Ed Sailing
My streak of special ed teachers continued this summer with a 25-year-old in her third year teaching in the Bronx. Meghan Warager went sailing with her parents on the York River and insisted that her school is not in the “war zone” of South Bronx but closer to the Whitestone Bridge. She teaches the very […]
Memories on the Water
Patti Clark took her family of grown children on a cruise along the York River during a week-long “staycation” in the summer of 2015. It included golf, water sports, shopping, dining and a massage. Sailing brings out the best in everyone and occasional memories of the water that are less than great. People ask, “Do […]
Sailing to Expelled Territory
On a breezy, sunny day three couples who never met had the time of their lives sailing the York River. We extended the run for an hour to enjoy the challenge of achieving speed on the water under sail. Tom and Ann Cook of Fairfax, Virginia, were unusually intriguing because he’s an accomplished sailor and […]
Sailing for Merit Badge
Boys aren’t always the best on a sailboat, but Wendy and Rick Cehon’s were. They came from central Massachusetts for a vacation and went sailing along the York River on a beautiful morning. It turns out they’re scoutmasters. I showed them how one young man on an earlier cruise couldn’t pull a simple […]
Sailing to Special Ed
Teachers who work in Special Ed are in a class by themselves. Thelma Ivie of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has been at it 20 years, most recently across the border in a Kansas school district. We talked about her work while sailing near Williamsburg. A chronic problem I’ve heard over the years isn’t about the students, but […]
Sailing to Certification
Too many teens come out of high school and go to college reluctantly, only to find themselves stuck in an academic rut. One alternative is technical school for specialized certification, and that’s what Spencer and Max Gazda are on track for. They joined their parents, Derek and Tina Gazda, on a sailing excursion near Williamsburg. […]
Sailing to Success
Two couples from New York City quit their jobs in fashion, corporate, nursing and teaching to find success in a group home setting in Washington, DC. Charrisse and Mark Ifill and his brother Mike Ifill and his wife Khardieita related their collective experience while sailing on the York River near Williamsburg with their small children. […]
Warship Sails Past
The Coleman Bridge swung both spans open for the warship USS John S. McCain as it sailed past Yorktown on the York River. Jonathan and Zack Barringer joined the rest of their family observing the exercise as the ship proceeded from the Norfolk Naval Base to the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Their dad Jeffrey noted […]
First Hot Shot
Early during the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781 the French got the bold idea of heating solid cannonballs red hot and firing them at a ship. They succeeded by arcing at least three balls a mile away toward the HMS Charon, the 44-gun lead ship of Lord Cornwallis, anchored in front of what is […]
Sailing Blind
By sheer coincidence, we had two sight-impaired ladies onboard among three couples. One of them was Brenda-Ann Gillis. She ran a summer program for blind children on Florida’s Indian River. “The ages ranged from 9 or 10 up to 16. Their sighted siblings were included as part of the group, to help teach them how […]