Sailing to Simplicity
Let’s go sail the York River, where couples enjoy a serene three hours. Take one of 6 sailing adventures near the Chesapeake Bay for your best vacation excursion: Adventure, Event, Appreciation, History, Lessons, Boat Buying. Sit in the catbird seat or up on the bow. People often ask, “What’s the magic of sailing?” This is […]
Gal Pal Sail
Gal Pal Sail describes how three women from Richmond took the helm.
Sailing Teamwork
Let’s go sail the York River, where couples enjoy a serene three hours. Take one of 6 sailing adventures near the Chesapeake Bay for your best vacation excursion: Adventure, Event, Appreciation, History, Lessons, Boat Buying. People ask, “Is teamwork important in sailing?” Very much so. A Portsmouth couple bought a 27 Seward to dock near […]
Let’s Go Sail Charleston
Let’s Go Sail Charleston recounts ideas for boats as found at City Docks.
How Charter Sailing Started
Special to the KCSA Bulletin People wonder, How did you start the sailing business?” It started with a few words, Let’s go sail the York River. The object was to let couples sail a serene three hours. In retirement, Kingsmill resident Bill O’Donovan has pursued a charter boat business to share the joy of sailing. […]
Sailing with Heroes
People ask, “Who has inspired you the most?” Among 900 essays in the Captain’s Blog over the past seven years, Sailing with Heroes from 2016 is the most poignant. On a dark and dreary afternoon, a couple from Portsmouth drove up to the Peninsula to go sailing on the York River. Then they found the […]
Sailing Wisdom, Life’s Metaphors
People often ask, “Why is sailing so special?” Unlike any other sport, sailing lends itself to inspiration, as these three illustrations show. No other mode of transportation is so inspiring, except maybe trains (“City of New Orleans”), or the bus ride with Kathy in Simon and Garfunkel’s “America.” Sailing memories are a pleasant reminder of […]
Destroyers Compared
Sometimes people ask, “Can you compare Navy ships?” Yes, but preferably in profile. On a whim, Daniel Katekovich took his bride Connie sailing along the York River on their 30th anniversary. She had never been on a sailboat before, “if you don’t count a small catamaran.” She did great as we zoomed across the river […]
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 All Over America
People ask, “Where do your clients come from?” All over the East Coast and occasionally out West. A family from Sacramento CA went sailing on the York River while touring Williamsburg. “We’ve never been on the East Coast,” said Kristin Marco, “and tomorrow we’re seeing Washington.” They became the first of multiple families this week […]
Ice Sailing Has Storied Past
People sometimes ask, “Is there a faster way to sail?” Oh yes, on ice! Before global warming, people used to sail on ice. It’s long forgotten, but our kin from the 1800s convey that ice sailing has a storied past. Americans live for speed and always have. Beginning with horse racing in 17th century New […]
Turncoat
Benedict Arnold has fascinated Americans for two centuries. One of the Continental Army’s most accomplished generals defected to the British Army for money and revenge. He oversaw military operations in Virginia during 1781 and turned over command to Lord Cornwallis when Cornwallis reached Yorktown. Arnold departed the scene to avoid any proximity to Gen. George […]
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 Under the Bridge
Although it’s taken for granted by locals, the Coleman Bridge is a spectacular piece of engineering and a vital link between two regions of eastern Virginia. It’s an adventure to go sailing under the bridge. After the boom years of World War II, it became apparent the ferry from Yorktown to Gloucester Point would be […]
Ships of the York
You can go for days without seeing another boat on the York River. Then they show up in multitudes, seemingly for no reason. In fact, there is a cycle to the boating and shipping traffic. Here’s a rundown of the range of boats and ships along the York River. Next, a unique factoid is […]
Sail Past Navy Ships
Nearly every week, except during the holidays, we sail past Navy ships as they ply the York River to and from Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. They arrive usually on Monday around noon and depart Thursday or Friday morning. These ships are magnificent to see coming over the eastern horizon from Norfolk Naval Base. I […]
Sailing into History
A young man from Prescott AZ (grew up in Baltimore) brought his wife to Williamsburg for an annual trip they’ve done for years. They wanted the History Cruise, so I dove deeply in the 1781 Battle of the Capes and the Siege of Yorktown that effectively ended the Revolutionary War. They had some history of […]
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 […]
The Oil Scoop
A Richmond family drove down to get away from the lockdown and the George Floyd protest violence to enjoy a quiet and picturesque day on the York River. They enjoyied a big day of sailing and got the oil scoop on barges. Faika Zanjani is a professor at VCU specializing in bacterial issues, but we […]
Splash into Season 8
After a week of refurbishing at the yard of York River Yacht Haven, Let’s Go Sail returned to the waters of the York River with a Splash into Season 8. The work consisted of three things that can only be done on the hards: wax the hull, paint the prop, paint the bottom. The work […]