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 of anniversaries, birthdays and weddings.

Let’s go sail the York River, where couples enjoy a serene three hours. Find happiness and health outdoors near Williamsburg with exciting fun on an anniversary or birthday. Great memories! Learn navigation to become a sailor. See birds, dolphins, maybe a Navy submarine. Bring your dog too.

The beauty of the boat strikes you first, at the dock. Even an old boat has a certain panache, as long as it’s in pristine condition. Classic boats define that mold, especially antique Chris Crafts among powerboats. The sleek lines of a sailboat move gracefully like the water. The act of boarding the yacht is elegant as well, or should be. Always have your hands free so you can grab a shroud with one hand and someone else’s hand with the other. Don’t try to carry stuff aboard; hand it off instead. And focus on moving onto or off the boat without distraction. Magnificent fashion is forgotten when someone falls off the boat at the dock.

Once out on the water, the boat moves through the waves with an effortless glide driven by the wind. The quiet nature of sailing adds to the elegance. No words need to be spoken to capture the moment.

Women enjoy sailing today more than ever, and particularly a romantic cruise. Couples get to enjoy a romantic getaway as they sit up on the bow for privacy, and Let’s Go Sail provides professional photos for free. First-time or skilled mariners are welcome to sail a modern-32-foot sailboat in a unique setting of wildlife and Fall foliage or Spring bloom. It makes for an extraordinary anniversary idea. 

The scene compels a wedding on the water, with everyone dressed in white and decked out in boat shoes. Roses arrives, followed by champagne. Few people have been to a wedding like this.

As the wind builds, the boat begins to heel a few degrees. The hull leans into the water to wash away the week’s problems and worries. The only noise becomes the increased wash of the waves on the hull. This is the music of sailing. For those who want more, Let’s Go Sail offers several playlists ranging from classicial to jazz to boating themes.

For those who want to dress up, the sailboat offers a platform for fashion to sparkle. Whenever a woman shows up in high heels, I ask her to take them off and they usually comply. Barefoot in an elegant dress is just as beautiful, and she won’t slip and fall. Some people like to swim in the warm waters of the York, and they know what to wear to achieve the elegance of sailing.

Perhaps the most elegant design of a sailboat are the sails themselves, with the main and jib flying tight in the breeze while powering the boat through the water with waves lapping.

The most elegant sail is the spinnaker. It flies large, full and quiet, serving as a parachute to pull the boat downwind. People marvel at the designs and size of a spinnaker.

It takes a team of three to raise the thing, and they have to coordinate from bow to aft in a matter of minutes. Once deployed, they hang onto the sheets to let the spinn go out until it captures all the wind possible. They adjust the tack at the bow to raise the sail higher to capture light air.

Back at the docks and inside the Yacht Club at the bar, sailors recall the day with a toast.

Elegant Proposal

Brent Russell surprised his girlfriend Andrea Lefont with a sailing cruise on the York River, where he proposed marriage on the bow. She looked stunned.

He and I had arranged it so that we would sail downriver in brisk seas and then turn around and sail back with flatter seas on a beam reach. That way they could proceed to the front of the boat with less fear of getting rocked by the waves in what built to 15 mph winds.

Two things happened. First, she was ambivalent about the waves. As a US Navy aviation electronics technician, she has been to sea numerous times. “I’ve been in storms up to 80 mph. I once slept completely through a hurricane.” She works on the flight deck of the latest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford. “Every aircraft is chained to the deck at all times. At 60 mph they go out and double-chain the helicopters and jets.”

Let’s Go on a Romantic Sail. Sit up on the bow for privacy. First-timers or skilled mariners can learn to sail fast on a cruise Near Williamsburg VA. They get to sail a modern 32-foot sailboat in a unique setting of wildlife and Spring foliage. Professional photos for free.

The other thing that happened was that she was unaware her life was about to change dramatically. So she phoned her grandmother to wish her a happy Mother’s Day. That delayed the proposal by 30 minutes as we did more tacking and gybing. At one point they came back from the bow to get warm, and this time Andrea called her mother. Finally as we headed into port, I announced that I needed them to get back on the bow. Brent was so nervous that he forgot that we had hid the prop ring up on the bow. “Oh, right,” he said.

He got down on bended knee and pulled out the ring box with a fake diamond that we hid beforehand in a nook under the cushions. You could see the look of surprise in her face as she quickly covered her mouth in astonishment. She said yes, and he was relieved. They lingered up there, laughing and enjoying life like never before.

Back at the dock Brent exchanged my prop ring for the real thing. He came out of the cabin with a large ring box. As he opened it, Andrea gasped and covered her face. “It’s morganite. I’m a sucker for rose gold.” Off they went to a promising future. I suggested they may want to name their first born Capt. Bill. They laughed delightfully.

The video below takes us sailing on an Amel 64. It’s as elegant and majestic as you can get for a million dollars.

Let’s Go Sailing with Elegance

Scroll down Rates and pick a day for a sailboat charter. Scroll down Reviews on Trip Advisor.  Go back to the Home Page of Williamsburg Charter Sails.  

Enjoy a romantic getaway. Sail the warm breezes of Spring and Summer. A unique and intriguing event, as well as an extraordinary anniversary idea. Take one of 6 sailing adventures near the Chesapeake Bay for your best vacation excursion: Adventure, Event, Appreciation, History, Lessons, Boat Buying. Sit in the catbird seat or up on the bow.