Kristi Olsen and a contingent of York County tourism officials sailed one day last summer. Brian Fuller of York Parks & Rec reported that 147 teams from 16 states were here for the Girls Class B World Series of Fast Pitch Softball. They’re playing on fields across York, James City and Williamsburg.
Kristi has distinguished herself as a world-class promoter of all things York and Yorktown. Many of the public events are centered in Yorktown, where Let’s Go Sail occasionally docks for passengers.
Passengers disembark to tour Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and of course Yorktown 
They’re daughter and son went up to the bow to enjoy the view from there. The couple runs a convenience store in Newport News, and the store is robbed sometimes. They seemed to take it in stride, like the cost of doing business. “We got hit recently by two kids, aged 16 and 10,” Rochelle said. “10 years old, can you imagine?” She added, “The store is near the Newport News Police Headquarters on Jefferson Avenue, so they can respond in five or six minutes. But of course by then they’re gone.” 
Soon everyone wound up on the bow. Sal said, “Another time, they caught the two guys who held us up because their faces were familiar to police on our video surveillance. I noted that a third guy was in the store the day before they hit. He wasn’t a regular customer. He bought something, of course, but he was casing the place. I could tell because he kept looking around instead of just buying something. They recognized him on the video and picked him up to question him. Sure enough, he was their accomplice.” He said this matter-of-factly, without any rancor.
The wind picked up in the afternoon, shifting to the east and bringing welcoming breezes on the hottest day of the year. Steve and Brenda Hoffman were visiting Yorktown from nearby Norfolk. He talked a lot about fishing while running the helm like an accomplished boater. His wife Brenda joked that all his comments about sailing were in the context of fishing. He replied, “This is the longest I’ve been on the water without a rod in my hands.”
Cheryl Grimm of Grove City OH brought three generations of women to sail on the York River. “We’re not sure where our husbands are, but they’re back home. This is a women’s vacation.” Her daughter Taryn proved the best on the helm in light breezes that eventually piped up to 12 mph. 
They zoomed out toward Goodwin Island under full sail in rising winds of 7-12 mph. “We took lessons once,” Dave recalled, “in small sailboats that kept turning over. Will this turn over?” 
“Dave got me a hot air balloon ride for my 40th,” Lisa recalled. “He wouldn’t go up since he’s scared of heights. So it was just me and the guide. Dave and the kids followed us behind the chase car. We had to rise quickly at one point to avoid high wires, and we crash-landed in a field. He came in too hard because the field was too small. We bumped along and tipped over, just me and the guide.”
“I teach 10th grade Math,” he said as his wife Holly maneuvered into a close reach in light winds. “I try to find analogies in life to Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus courses, but it’s difficult. I should go around to local businesses to find if they have real-world applications.”
Tony said, “I used to be a truck driver, for a moving company. Teaching is better, but it’s a rural area where everyone does not succeed as easily as elsewhere.” I asked his pass rate for the Ohio standard tests. “About 20 percent. That’s low, but I’m a hard teacher and don’t just teach to the test.” Holly interjected, “One of his students got into Yale.” He has his hands full. “Anywhere from 20 to 25 students in a standard Math class, and 10 in the upper levels.”
Every summer toward the end of July, Nanci Bond and Ellen Jaroncyzk take a memorial sail on the anniversary of their husbands’ birthdays. Both were named Bob and both were born on the same day. The couples became friends upon moving to Williamsburg years ago. 
We talked about downsizing, Colonial Williamsburg, William & Mary, the presidential race, the Trump idiocy, and eventually sailing. Ellen had an easy time finding the wind once it arose, and Nanci recalled her work on Capri 22s years ago. She said, “I was very competitive at racing on those little Capris.” She hadn’t lost her eye for the wind. 
The VDOT project continues to add bumpers on the pilings of the Coleman Bridge. The latest addition is a multi-faceted item with giant chains holding it onto the north turret. It protects another round of wiring harness and probably should have been done years ago. They’re doing the south turret now. Not sure about all the chain, which will inevitably rust and deteriorate. 
Unlike in past years, they didn’t frolic so much as dove up and down in a graceful arc. Sometimes alone and sometimes in pairs. Once a trio rose up from the water in a precise arc of ballet symmetry. No one could get any pictures because they disappeared before we could snap a pic. A few people tried video, but it would need a lot of editing to get a good scene. The best shot I got this year was in May, the very first day they showed up. Usually they hang out at the R2 entrance to Sarah Creek, but lately they’ve been spotted on the east side of the Coleman Bridge. No matter how infrequently and how far away for however short a period, they are a sight to behold.Bonnie and I went to Gainesville for the wedding of our daughter Robin Ann O’Donovan to Christopher Chase Tucker. They’ve known each other for five years, and he has endeared himself to her children Remy and Ivan. It was a solemn yet festive occasion on a beautiful day, followed by
We saw a Navy sub for the first time this season, and the glare was obvious.
We got to see two Navy warships transit the Coleman Bridge in one day.
