Lights for Sailboats
The US Coast Guard has developed an elaborate scheme of navigation lights for boats and sailboats of all sizes on the York River and around the world. Thay way, everyone can recognize each other at night and tell what direction they’re going. The easiest example is the one here of a sailboat with red, green […]
Sailing War Stories
People ask while sailing the York River how Gen. George Washington could communicate with Admiral Francoise DeGrasse in the Caribbean to get the French fleet here. Much it transpired by letters sent by couriers on single-mast sloops that could go faster than conventional warships. Frigates with two masts comprised sloops. The most famous early sloop […]
Father’s Day Sail
Thom MacDonnell took his wife Kaja and friends out on the York River for a glorious Father’s Day cruise on a 32-foot boat that Bill O’Donovan operates as Williamsburg Charter Sails. Thom won the cruise during the annual auction held to benefit the Williamsburg Kiwanis Foundation. (Father’s Day Sail) This is a rare use of […]
Building a Sailboat
People ask, “Is it hard to build a sailboat?” They find it surprising to learn how to do it, at least in the factory. It takes fabrication, in three parts. The fiberglass hull is laid up with a mold, and the interior gets built separately. They add parts inside and out until the decking drops […]
Mariner Spectrum
Two ends of the mariner spectrum were captured in a sea change along the York River. A waterman sets up for the day to harvest oysters off the river bed while the destroyer USS Mitscher transits toward the Coleman Bridge and Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. The Mitscher was the Navy’s official welcoming ship when […]
Girl Talk
Sometimes the best place on a sailboat for girl talk can be the bow. Out there, with the boat slicing through the waves, one can find solitude to scrutinize nature and wind up falling asleep. Or you can hold a private conversation. Here, Ashley and Andrea Kieffer of Shawnee, Kansas, enjoy some girl time while […]
First Hot Shot
Early during the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781 the French got the bold idea of heating solid cannonballs red hot and firing them at a ship. They succeeded by arcing at least three balls a mile away toward the HMS Charon, the 44-gun lead ship of Lord Cornwallis, anchored in front of what is […]
Sailing Excellence
Thanks to all the guests who have enjoyed Williamsburg Charter Sails for their kind reviews on Trip Advisor. As a result, the charter just won the Certificate of Excellence after rising to No. 7 on the list of 71 things to do in Williamsburg. Who knew there were 71 things to do in Williamsburg? My […]
Kennedy Sailors
People ask, “Who are the most inspiring sailors?” Kennedy sailors are an American icon. President Kennedy made it glamorous by sailing on his sloop Victura out in the Atlantic off the coast of the Kennedy compound. Ted Kennedy enjoyed the contemplative nature as a sailor so much so that he cruised off Hyannis Port the […]
Sailing to Mexico
Ramona Findley of Los Angeles has crewed in offshore races from Newport Beach to Ensenada, Mexico, a 125-mile stretch that includes overnight sailing. So she and her colleagues from the LAPD and LA Sheriff’s Department had no problem sailing a mid-size Hunter on the York River on a beautiful afternoon. “I worked as the spinnaker […]
Sailing Blind
By sheer coincidence, we had two sight-impaired ladies onboard among three couples. One of them was Brenda-Ann Gillis. She ran a summer program for blind children on Florida’s Indian River. “The ages ranged from 9 or 10 up to 16. Their sighted siblings were included as part of the group, to help teach them how […]
Sailors Launched
Six adults excelled this spring in the class “Adventures in Sailing” class offered on the York River under the tutelage of the Williamsburg Area Learning Tree. They learned all six points of sail, how to tack sharply, how to gibe safely, how to rescue a man overboard, how to communicate on marine radio, how to […]
Pursuit of Sailing
Renee Williams took her husband Spencer sailing on the York River as a surprise birthday present. She was reluctant to take the wheel but proved highly capable in brisk winds that required reefing (reducing) the sails. They want to get into motorboats or sailboats near where they live in Northern Virginia. I told them […]
America’s Cup 2013
The fastest sailing on Earth took place during the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco Bay. These $100 million catamarans rose up out of the water on hydrofoils, which can be seen in this video. They touched an astonishing 55 mph. America was down 8-1 and roared back to win 8 straigt to win 9-8. […]
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 […]
Sailing the Plains
Iowa is home to Big Ag, with some of the largest farms in the country spread over the Great Plains. Mitch and Connie Morrison of Mason City have a daughter who married into a farm family. They explained alternately what her life is like while sailing near Williamsburg on a breezy day. “They farm 10,000 […]
Buy a Goat, Not a Boat
One of the cruises offered by Williamsburg Charter Sails is for potential boat buyers. Sailboats are in an unusual market whereby the broker or dealer is neither inclined nor obligated to take you for a test drive. To do so, you must first sign a contract to actually buy the boat and put a down […]
USS Cole Sails On
People ask, “Do you ever see the USS Cole?” While sailing the York River on a calm afternoon, the guided missile cruiser Cole transited the Coleman Bridge on the way from Norfolk to the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Kathy Hiles used to live nearby on the shores of Gloucester Point and was intrigued to see […]
Sailing Out of the Park
Alan and Val Domzalski of Gross Pointe Woods MI enjoyed a late afternoon sail on the York River with their pal Jeff Craig. Alan’s beverage company has a suite at Comerica Park, where they can watch the Tigers play in comfort. “The suite is beside home plate, looking down the first-base line. We’re there tomorrow […]
Spring Sail Class
Steady winds on the York River proved the perfect classroom for the first of three classes sponsored in the spring of 2015 by the Williamsburg Area Learning Tree. During an intense six hours, sailors rotated on the helm to learn the close reach, beam reach and broad reach. For the last, we deployed a colorful […]