Heave-To Simplified

Heave-To Explained

Let’s say you’re out sailing the York River and want to stop and have lunch. That way the boat will flatten out and food won’t wind up flying everywhere. The procedure is called Heave-To, which slows the boat to a stop. Then you’re Hove-To. I prefer the latter term because Heave-To implies vomiting. Assuming you’re […]

Correcting 6 Myths About Sailing

Correcting 6 Myths A bout Sailing

HARD TO LEARN—This is a hardy chestnut promoted by motorboat dudes, for whom heavy lifting comprises a case of beer. In fact, sailing is easy to learn because the principals are fairly straightforward. Once you realize how the wind affects the sail, it seems quite logical. There is a certain intellectual challenge to sailing, but […]

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 […]

How to Survive a Sailing Emergency

How to survive a sailing emergency

  Hurricanes such as Harvey, Irma and Jose inspire anxiety among sailors. In describing how to survive a sailboat emergency, these are ranked not by worst case downward because all of them are bad scenarios. Instead, they are ranked by degree of likelihood-to-happen,  with the top categories representing the least likely and the bottom categories more […]

Privacy Policy

Last updated May 4, 2017. Wendin LLC t/a Williamsburg Charter Sails operates http://www.williamsburgchartersails.com (the “Site”). This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information we receive from users of the Site. We use your Personal Information only for providing and improving the Site. By using the Site, you […]

Great Sailing Day

People ask, “Aaarrrghhh! Are we tipping over?” Landlubbers, women and other reasonable people are put off at first by the heeling effect of a sailboat. The optimum tilt under sail in a good wind is 10-15 degrees off center. Anything beyond that is uncomfortable and surprisingly inefficient. Despite what you’ve seen on TV or in […]