Suprise 40th Sail

Hathaway Family

Gov. Northram lifted the lockdown for many businesses, including charter sailing, on May 15. Next day, Let’s Go Sail took off on Season 8 while practicing social distancing and clean surfaces. People ask, “Do you do surprise events?” Cynthia Hathaway drove her husband and three boys from Chesapeake for a surprise sail on the York […]

Lessons Learned for Advanced Sailors

Lessons Learned for Advanced Sailors

Over the course of decades, Let’s Go Sail has owned six sailboats to navigate the waters of the James River, York River, Mobjack Bay and Chesapeake Bay. Many wonderful days have been aggravated by a relatively few days of minor problems. For those buying a sailboat or otherwise getting into the sport seriously, one humbly […]

Relearn How to Sail

Relearning How to Sail

People ask, “I used to sail, can you teach me again?” A couple from Charlottesville and a family from Pittsburgh went sailing on the York River to relearn their skills. Sebastian Kukla and Erik Fernandez hadn’t sailed since their college days, but they got the hang of it quickly in winds of 10 mph rising […]

Boating BUI Guide

BUI Boating Guide

Boating and sailing are primarily leisure activities, and many people thus treat it differently than driving a car. For anyone operating the boat, however, the responsibilities should be taken seriously. This is especially so when it comes to drinking or using drugs. The operator of a boat or a jet ski is subject to arrest […]

Sailing for serenity

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 […]

Community Sailing

Community Sailing

Question: Why are some people more compassionate than others? Answer: They serve their community nobly. Every now and then you run into someone whose job is a stunning reflection of community service. Sometimes they’re a couple. Brooke and Jamie Bugg came from Monroe, Georgia to Williamsburg for their wedding anniversary. She said, “We work different […]

Sailing Downwind

Sailing Downwind

Question: How do you go sailing downwind? Answer: Raise the spinnaker. Sometimes you need a break from the grandchildren. Jennie and Jeff Seiler care permanently for their three grandsons, who were off visiting their mother for the summer. The Seilers took a leisurely cruise on the York River as light winds prevailed in the morning. […]

Sailing Good Winds

Sailing Good Winds

  Question: Who should run the boat in brisk winds? Answer: A former Navy jet pilot. Moderate winds of 12 mph turned to a brisk 18-20 mph on a bright sunny day, leading to one reef in the genoa to make it more like a jib. The mainsail was full. Kathy Fanney brought her family […]

Seasick when Sailing

  People occasionally ask if they’re likely to get seasick when sailing on a three-hour charter along the York River. The answer is No, for several reasons. 1. We sail in a river, which almost never gets enough chop to make the boat pitch forward and backward. High seas with seven-foot waves (measured from top […]