How to Sail Like a Pro
People ask, “What’s the best way to sail like a pro?” Don’t forget to wear an ascot. WATCH VIDEOS—This is a good first step because you can choose from myriad short videos on You Tube to see how things work. Focus at first on the Close Reach, Beam Reach and docking. The rest is details. […]
8 Little-Known Ways to Sail
I get asked, “Are there different ways to sail?” Yes, here are eight ways. 1. Caribbean Day Sail—The common expectation for a trip on a yacht rental in St. Thomas or St. John is to fly in and take a bareboat out for a week with another couple or two. That’s fine, but pricey and […]
Stay Fit by Sailing
Sailing can make you physically fit and keep you that way. If you work out at the gym, work on the boat becomes that much easier. Sailing is quite an adventure for one’s muscles, without that much effort. The very activity of getting on and off a boat takes some exertion, especially at extreme low […]
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 […]
Learn to Sail
You can learn to sail fast, and quickly at that. Here are five ways, graduating from easy to intermediate. Adventure Cruise Couples and families who book an Adventure Cruise with Let’s Go Sail get a chance to run the helm over a comfortable course spanning three hours. In so doing, they get sufficient tips and pointers […]
Sailing Past the Laboon
People ask, “Can you get a photo of a Navy ship coming through the Coleman Bridge?” A Houston couple left on vacation after Hurricane Harvey and arrived in Virginia in time for the remnants of Hurricane Irma. The resulting sail on the York River was much more pleasant and quite an adventure. Dave and Sonya […]
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 […]
Rigorous Sailing Class, Day 2
The rain held off and the wind held up for Williamsburg Area Learning Tree’s second rigorous sailing class. Seas built to three feet as a northeast wind rotated north with chilling breezes. Participants felt the tug of a vigorous close reach, taking the boat to 15 degrees heeling but no farther. They tacked and turned […]
12 Secrets to Ocean Sailing with Kids
Repeat customers are a joy because they were obviously pleased the adventure the first time. This time, two teachers from Central Virginia went sailing with a vengeance because he’s about to go to sea. And today was his birthday. Robert and Elizabeth Hale-MacKinnon teach eighth and fourth grade respectively at the Charlottesville Waldorf School, in the Montessori […]
Sailing to a Reunion
Members of the Class of 1965 at a public high school in Hershey, Pennsylvania had such a good time at their 50th reunion that they extended it to Williamsburg the following year. Among them was my former colleague Ed Offley. We started out together at The Virginia Gazette, and he went on to a distinguished […]
