Sailing Alternatives

Sailing Alternatives covers other ambitious outdoor activities in America.
Sail San Fran Bay

Sail San Fran Bay relates the perils of sailing and watching the fireworks.
School Shooting

Grand jury hands down indictment for school shooting.
Ship Disaster

Ship Disaster recounts a similar failing as the Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Yorktown Sail

After a decade, they’re taking down the empty fuel tanks at the Yorktown Refinery.
Good Riddance
Derelict boats are being crushed and removed from the marina yard.
Danger Sails

Danger Sails recounts the troubles people have boating.
Arts Quarter Sails

Award-winning actor Glenn Close was the star of the dedication of the William & Mary Arts Quarter, a massive reconfiguration of Phi Beta Kappa Hall into a half dozen buildings interconnected. Before several hundred alumni and guests in the new PBK, Close expressed heartfelt gratitude for their support, tearing up at one point from the […]
Hover Sail

Three couples from Georgia, South Carolina and Maryland converged on a cool, crisp Fall day to pursue the History Cruise. But first we sailed under the Coleman Bridge to view a Navy submarine in port. Doug Boyd reluctantly took the helm, having once sailed S-28s in Annapolis. He talked of the wind conditions there as […]
The World

Albeit pretentious, that’s the name of a massive cruise ship that anchored overnight in the York River. MS The World presages the coming (and controversial) Princess liner with 3,000 passengers disembarking at Yorktown. But this one has only 150-200 passengers who own 165 condo apartments worth millions. As the name implies, the cruising course extends […]
Last Call

Last Call recounts the end of dolphin season, plus flying the spinnaker.
Navy Sail

For six weeks, we saw nary a Navy warship. Then two showed up within two days. Three days later, the first ship left to go out to sea. A New Hampshire couple was aboard, having taken their ASA 101 course on Lake Champlain. I thought it only fitting that the navigate under the Coleman Bridge […]
Childhood Sail
Some people have wonderful childhood sail memories, largely about their parents. While sailing the York with his wife Melissa, Ralph Leonard recalled his dad. “We sailed a trimaran off the coast of Florida to the Bahamas. I guest it took maybe a day. We stayed overnight on the beach and sailed back the next day. […]
Elegance of Sailing

People ask, “Can you sum up sailing in one word?” Yes. Except for polo, nothing beats the elegance of sailing. From the yacht club to the ocean and everywhere in between, sailing exudes a special ambiance and attitude that is hard to replicate elsewhere. Few sports compare to sailing. It lends itself to special occasions […]
Farming Sail

Farming Sail recounts hay harvesting in Oklahoma, plus other stories by other couples. Let’s go sail.
Emergency Sail

Emergency Sail recounts tales of the ER and sunning deck, among other items.
Excessive Sail

Yorktown is abuzz about a giant cruise ship coming into port next year, ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Typical headline: Princess Cruises shares update on Yorktown Voyage, but not everyone is on board The company announced in February that it would add Yorktown to the list of ports, largely because […]
Buccaneer Sail

Eight years ago, I took Lewis and Paula Volk of Kansas out sailing for their first big cruise. They returned this year with another couple and told a fascinating story. “We were looking to buy a bigger motorboat than the one we had. But the deal went sideways with the broker, and then we went […]
Southern Sail

For the second time in 11 years, we headed south to review venues to relocate or extend the charter sail business. The Carolinas offer a longer season, albeit with few tourists than Williamsburg. First, we stopped in Edenton NC where we took a 40-minute boat ride on Liber-Tea, an electric engine runabout under Capt. Mark […]
Policy Sail

Four family members from Richmond took a well-deserved day off to go sailing on the York. Temperatures in the 90s were offset by winds blowing a steady 15 mph and gusting over 20. It was so delightful and the conversation so intense that no one noticed the boat heeling past 20 degrees. We sailed around […]