York tugboats
Up and down the York River, tugboats provide safe and secure transit for ships. The biggest clients are Navy warships, which usually take one and sometimes two tugs to push and prod into port at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. The current is wicked, aggravated by the 2-foot tide. Moran Towing gets that job done, using […]
Sailors with Boating Friends
A couple from Northern Virginia left their teenagers at home for a one-day adventure to drive south and go sailing on the York River. Katie and Sam Mangrio are in real estate, so we got to talking about flipping houses. “We’ve only done that once,” Sam said cautiously. “A lot can go wrong, so you […]
Sailing Out to Sea
People inquire, “Do you take house guests sailing?” Williamsburg is a great place to visit, so much so that people who live here often find themselves entertaining house guests. I get sufficient business from one particular subdivision that thrives with house guests who stay too long. I suggest you send them sailing out to sea. […]
Sailing Toward Certification
Local sailors from all over Hampton Roads converged on Willoughby Bay to learn the basics for certification. They joined the ASA 101 class under SailTime Virginia Beach, where they practiced all five points of sail in light winds on a magnificent Saturday for boating. We did classroom work for an hour before taking out a […]
Sailing with Experience
In the annals of “Sailing Fails” there lies the successful outcome of a bad situation. While sailing the York River on a magnificent day with his wife and family, Bob Benton recalled his sailing experience from long ago. “We had 20 people on a 27-foot sailboat, if you can imagine that. Seven of them were […]
Learn About Best Winds to Sail
They say you can never be too thin or too rich, but you can have too much wind. That’s why you need to learn the best winds to sail. That in turn leads to bigger waves. Here’s a brief rundown on the Beaufort Wind Scale, from noaa.org. Keep in mind that the published winds are […]
Four Couples Sail the York
People ask, “Do couples enjoy sailing?” Sailing gets in your blood, as discovered with two of four couples sailing the York River on a magnificent spring day with 10-12 mph winds. The couples were open completely to capture the adventure. Two couples sailed in the morning and two in the afternoon. Years ago John Tropilo […]
Serenity Sailing, Then Dolphins
A York County woman took her family sailing on the York River and found it a serene setting of mild winds and warm breezes, part of the outdoor fun near Yorktown. The anticipation was that of a family outing. The adventure arrived in the quietude, as they chatted for hours. In the process, we sailed under […]
Sailing Near the Navy
A dreary day on the York River perked up with the siting of an exceptional Navy ship. It was quite an adventure. Amy and John McCarthy took a long-awaited sail with their daughter C.C. and her boyfriend Chris Coe, in town from Ketchum, Idaho. C.C. sailed competitively in high school, so she had no trouble […]
Sailing on Three Anniversaries
By coincidence, three couples from Chesapeake, Williamsburg and Minneapolis celebrated by sailing the York River. They were followed by two college chums. Rebekah and Jonathan Macalvey got married three years ago after meeting on duty in Afghanistan. She’s a physician’s assistant in the Navy and he’s a SEAL with 20 years in. Rebekah said, “I’m on […]
