Sailing Back to Virginia
People ask, “What if it rains?” Two weeks of rain led to a third week, but we were away in Florida. Finally, the skies cleared and charter returned as we went Sailing Virginia again. On this day we got to fly the spinnaker not once, but twice, and gybing as well. Check out the video […]
Sailing on Memories
People ask, “Why do people go sailing on vacation?” Visitors to Williamsburg go sailing on memories. They are surprised to discover so much water surrounding them. Indeed, when the second capital was formed in the city in 1699, it had ports on both sides of town along creeks extending to two rivers. Today as they […]
Sailing Summer’s End
People ask, “Is Labor Day Weekend busy on the river?” Too busy for me, as a professional mariner. Labor Day weekend brought us to sailing summer’s end. It came complete with all kinds of amateur motorboaters who consistently drove across my bow, sometimes too close. While I lament that so few boats are on the […]
Sailing with Family
The question arises from time to time: “Can you take more than 6 people sailing?” Alas, no, for it’s a USCG license limitation. Karen Gillingham of Yorktown booked a sailing cruise with family, but she didn’t get to go because the USCG limit on six-pac license is six people. Her husband Ron turned out to […]
Sailing at 85
People sometimes wonder, “Who’s the oldest sailor?” Here he is. A Maryland family rescheduled a rain date and wound up sailing the York in a rising afternoon breeze that they found a magnificent adventure. Weeks earlier, Kathy Self had hoped to bring her uncle along with her father Jack Green as a birthday surprise […]
Captain’s Choice
People often ask: “Is it hard learning how to sail?” No, not at all. Two couples from Richmond and Lynchburg had never met until they went out on the York River to learn how to sail. What they got was a primer on the water and a rare view of a passing Navy submarine. En […]
Who Goes Sailing
“It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” – Ernest K. Gann Those who cruise with Let’s Go Sail on the York River cross all demographics, but they tend to skew more affluent. They are slightly overweight but never obese, and they have some college […]
Sailing & Fishing
There are two kinds of boating that are mutually discrete: Sailing & Fishing. I refer people all the time to my colleagues at York River Yacht Haven who offer fishing charters. But occasionally someone will ask if they can try fishing off the back of the boat. It’s tricky because we run the risk of […]
Endless Summer
Here it is almost October and we’re still swimming in the York River. An ambitious family from Raleigh NC took advantage of a lull in the wind to jump off the boat on a beautiful Indian summer afternoon. The water is still 80 degrees, so why not? Also on board was a couple from Richmond […]
Grounded Off NC Coast
People ask, “What’s it like to run aground?” Awful, actually. My friend Tom Byrd was vacationing in Corolla NC when he spotted this 40-ish sailboat grounded off the NC coast. Unlike Nags Head farther south where the riptides rip, Corolla is known to be very shallow along the water. That’s why families can let their […]
