Sailing to the Future
It’s an enduring cliché that young people have it tough coming out of school and finding a job. So it was a pleasant surprise to meet Paige Neidig, whom her parents Connie and Mark Neidig took sailing near Williamsburg along with her sister Samantha and fiancé Seth Weaver. They were on vacation from Wellsville, Pennsylvania. […]
Sailing with Kiwanis
We went sailing with Kiwanis as members and spouses of the Williamsburg Kiwanis Club set sail on the York River on a trip donated by Williamsburg Charter Sails to the Kiwanis Foundation. Its president, Gary Ripple, reported that the fund has grown to $405,000 and yields $20,000 annually for key club projects. Gary is a big […]
Sailing with Scholars
And A lovely couple from Annapolis went sailing near Williamsburg for their first anniversary. And it was a joy to go sailing with scholars. “This was a total surprise,” said Sara Crouser as she boarded the boat with her husband Mark. “He can never keep a secret, so this is really special. Plus he knows […]
Norfolk Boat Memories
While taking their gals sailing near Williamsburg, two fellows recalled their Norfolk boat memories, having grown up together during the 1950s. Dale Murray said, “I’ve been around the water all my life, but I’ve never been sailing.” He did just fine on the helm. On the water indeed. “I have a center console 22-foot fishing boat […]
Sailing Like Ike
Students in Sail Time’s basic sailing course ventured out of Willoughby Bay into the James River, past the USS Eisenhower. The aircraft carrier was back in port after eight sailors were injured in March when the arresting gear on the flight deck snapped during a routing landing of a jet fighter. I once had a […]
Ninth Anniversary Sail
Having never been to Williamsburg before, Brian and Meg Scoggins of Chattanooga set out on a ninth anniversary sail by venturing out on the historic York River in brisk winds rising to 15 mph. Brian had never sailed before, but he had gained some visual experience playing Empire Total War. That’s a popular video game that assigns […]
Soaring to Sail
While out cruising the York River, people on my boat are intrigued by the three-masted schooner Alliance, which is another way visitors go soaring to sail. “Is that your competition?” they ask. In fact, I have 76 competitors because that’s the number of things to do in Williamsburg according to Trip Advisor. (I’m No. 30 overall and […]
Toy Boat at Sea
A toy boat launched in the Atlantic Ocean by South Carolina school students has reached the coast of Wales, after a stopover in Bermuda. The Royal Gazette reports that the Carolina Dreamer was built by the St. Andrew’s School of Math & Science in Charleston and fitted with a GPS tracker. The little vessel went […]
Black Patriots and Loyalists
In 1781 the First Rhode Island Regiment fought successfully at the Battle of Yorktown. Alan Gilbert’s new book, “Black Patriots and Loyalists: Fighting for Emancipation in the War for Independence,” shows how the promise of freedom drew enslaved blacks into the Continental Army and the British Army during the Revolutionary War. Gilbert raises significantly […]
The Dream of Owning a Sailboat
Virtually everyone I take cruising along the York River on their charter outing is fascinated by the sport of sailing. Some express the dream of owning a sailboat one day. A few have done it, with no regrets. Yet sailing isn’t all that expensive when compared to other sports. Columnist Nick Hayes in the February […]
Sailing without Grandchildren
Two couples in their 50s from Southern California went sailing near Williamsburg on a beautiful fall afternoon with an astonishing statistic between them. Patty and Chris Davis have five grandchildren while their friends Sabrina and Dave have ten. “That’s 15 of them, up to age 18,” Sabrina said. “They all live nearby, so we don’t […]
Historic Halloween
If you suspend the disbelief that there was no Halloween in Williamsburg during the 1770s, you will find the presentation by Colonial Williamsburg in the Revolutionary City quadrant of the Historic Area to be quite compelling. Welcome to “A Haunting on DoG Street: Blackbeard’s Revenge.” It’s designed to draw in more families to a wider, more […]
Success Story Sailing
Phyllis Glass of Columbia, PA, was sailing with us with her husband Gary. She recalled a harrowing counterpoint. “Our daughter-in-law is a parole officer for juveniles in Lancaster. They had to move her from an office in the courthouse to the school so she could be closer to the parolees. She wears a bulletproof vest.” […]
The Gunpowder Incident
We take a short vacation from sailing to report on the history of the Gunpowder Incident, courtesy of the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, from which this is reprinted. The Revolutionary era’s newspapers are rich with stories that inspired the American Revolution. In Reporting the Revolutionary War, Todd Andrlik publishes an array of […]
Wedding Under Sail
I get asked a lot, “Do you do weddings on board?” Brandon Marks wanted to surprise his fiancé Addie Misnier with a unique wedding venue. She always wanted to go sailing, so he chose the waters of the York River. The ceremony was performed by Pastor Chris and witnessed by Addie’s best friend Katherine. Then […]
Sailing Past William & Mary
Dan and Catherine Marino of Chatham NJ took their family sailing near Williamsburg before their older daughter Juliana toured the College of William & Mary. She’s looking at the club sailing team, having developed experience on 420s with her sister Marisa. We sailed past the Marine Science School of William & Mary. The small boats […]
Avoiding the Bridge
Kathy and Ed Raskay of Horsham, Pennsylvania, took their four fabulous daughters sailing on the York River, near Williamsburg, before everyone has to go back to school next month. They found it to be great excitement. People ask, “How do you avoid hitting the Coleman Bridge?” Ed recalled, “One time I was sailing with a […]
Memories on the Water
Patti Clark took her family of grown children on a cruise along the York River during a week-long “staycation” in the summer of 2015. It included golf, water sports, shopping, dining and a massage. Sailing brings out the best in everyone and occasional memories of the water that are less than great. People ask, “Do […]
Sailing to Missouri
Bruce Queen of metro Richmond took his daughter Marissa sailing near Williamsburg as a goodbye tour. She’s leaving Powhatan Plantation timeshare resort for Missouri where she has been promoted by Diamond Resorts to be run their timeshare in Branson, called Suites at Fall Creek. “Branson is like Atlantic City without the casinos,” Marissa said. […]
Sailing from Australia
My first Australian went sailing on the York River with his wife’s family. Sean Ironmonger said that one of the stereotypes is that Americans asked if he knew the late Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter. “They can’t believe I never met him, so sometimes I just say, ‘Aye, we drink at the pub now and […]