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 […]
She said yes on the bow of the boat
Reggie Holmes took his girlfriend Lea Diggs sailing on the York River to propose marriage, and she said yes on the bow of the boat. The plan was to bring two couples along to witness the occasion. We sailed for an hour, exchanging stories and moving about the boat. The other couples liked the idea […]
Sailing with homeschoolers
Jamie and Brad Schmidt brought their twin girls and teenage son to Williamsburg on a learning vacation. They’re homeschooled by Mom in Westminster, Colorado. “We lucked out because this is Homeschool Week at Colonial Williamsburg,” Jamie said, “and they offered a good discount that we weren’t aware of when we planned this trip. We want […]
Sailing, boating and shipbuilding news
Nine people from all over America cruised along the York River near Williamsburg with various sailing, boating and shipbuilding news. Tom Jackson of West Valley, Utah, brought his wife and her sister along. “Our biggest body of water is of course the Great Salt Lake. It’s been dry, so the lake is way down. There’s […]
Memories of Far Away
Sailing brings out childhood memories of far away. Steve and Colleen Hamlin of nearby Suffolk took their children on a local vacation to see the Williamsburg sights. They went sailing along the York River the day after Tropical Storm Hermine blew through, so the winds were brisk and steady. Their son Tyler had experience […]
The Future of Sailing
The future of the world and the future of sailing are in good hands with young people, judging by back-to-back experiences with two families. Lauren Edwards took her family out from Williamsburg, where they were holding a small family reunion on vacation. Members came from three corners of Virginia: Blacksburg, Virginia Beach and Alexandria. Even […]
Spinnaker Sailing Twice
It’s a rare day that we can fly the big blue and red spinnaker off the bow. We need just the right direction of wind to sail upwind so as to turn back 180 degrees and let loose. On this day we went spinnaker sailing twice. An east wind in the morning picked up […]
Sailing Surprise
Jenny and Rey Mendez of New York City surprised his parents and their three children with a sailing cruise on the York River. They thought they were going to Jamestown. The parents took off for town, while we went sailing and had a lot of fun. Their older son Steven was delighted because he earned […]
Sailing with Families
As the summer winds down and thoughts return to school, the number of families who go sailing dwindles. I’ve had all variety of families on board this season, everything from toddlers to grown adults. Parents like to take individual children up to the bow to enjoy some private time. Sailing is quite the bonding experience […]
Sailing out of the Desert
The Collins family left Palm Springs for an East Coast vacation that included sailing on the York River. “We did New York at the beginning of the summer and are now ending the summer by doing Washington and Williamsburg,” said Leif. “We have to get back next week because school starts for the boys in […]
Sailing to Experience
Three discrete groups enjoyed a mild day sailing to experience without the distractions of work. They enjoyed some family bonding, a surprise birthday sail, and a farewell adventure tour while deploying the big spinnaker sail. Robert Stevens brought his 14-year-old grandson Chris Metz from Fort Worth, Texas. Robert used to sail 40- and 44-foot sailboats […]
Sailing with Shoeless Wonders
You meet some fascinating people sailing. Rob Spain took Sara Elizabeth Timmins out on the York River in exchange for her hiking the back country of Yellowstone with him. Sara is no stranger to adventure, for she’s a Hollywood film producer who’s currently working on “Shoeless Wonders” in Lynchburg. “It’s about orphans who went undefeated […]
Sail Washed Out
Matt and Jen Fodor of suburban Philadelphia took their three strapping boys sailing in a fine easterly breeze on the York River. Dillon Fodor took the helm and held stead through three tacks before we saw darkening clouds ten miles to the north. I checked the radar and a cell of thunderstorms had popped up. […]
Sailing to England
On a hot and sultry afternoon, we went sailing to England with a delightful family. “Buckinghamshire is about 30 miles outside London,” said Ken Boyce, who brought his wife Alison and their three grown children. “We travel to the States every other year. We were going to bring my mother sailing with you, but that […]
Sailing the Gamut
You could say we went Sailing the Gamut, with every conceivable experience on the York River except one. In light but steady winds, the entire Shields family of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, chipped in to help fly the spinnaker. I don’t normally do that on a hot day because the going downwind on the spin […]
Sailing with Dolphins
The Couvion family of suburban St. Louis crossed at least two rivers to go sailing on the York. First the Mississippi and second the James, where they’re staying in a VRBO house near the water while vacationing at Williamsburg. Mike the dad said, “We’re close enough to swim in the river, and you can walk […]
Sailing Past Vegas
On a beautiful, breezy afternoon we took two couples sailing on the York River. Bethany and Daniel Prazuch of Wisconsin were on their honeymoon, while Eric and Trina Smith of Oklahoma were on their second marriage. Eric and Trina have done a lot of domestic traveling. On this trip they went to Nashville and Washington […]
Commemorative Sail
Every summer I take Nanci Bond and Ellen Janoncyzk out on a commemorative sail on the mutual day of their late husbands’ birthday. They were both named Bob. On a virtually still day with the York River like glass, we motored over to the other side of the river and all the way out to Tue […]
Best and Worst Sails
Cruising along the York River on a lazy summer day inspires people to recall their best and worst sails. On vacation to Williamsburg, Baron Hall of Martinsville brought his wife Allison with their son Brandon and his pal Adam Reed. I turned the helm over to Baron and found little need to explain things. Flying […]
Sail on the Bow
There is perhaps no better place than to sail on the bow of a boat along the York River. It’s a great place to contemplate life in the great outdoors as you glide smoothly through the water. You become oblivious to distracting surroundings. People often comment how serene it is to sail. Nowhere is that […]