The USS Forrest Sherman sailed past the Yorktown Monument and through the Coleman Bridge to the Naval Weapons Station. Two Moran tugs accompanied the ship, and one of them posted a dockmaster to climb a ladder to go up to the bridge and lead it into port. A family from West Virginia was quite impressed to get close enough to see the scene unfold. Once again, the bridge got stuck upon closing, but only for a few minutes. Whew.
College Sailors
The Mahoney family of Stratford CT went sailing on Easter Sunday with their four children. One is enrolled at the College of William & Mary, and another is at Notre Dame. Two more have yet to decide where to go. They sailed admirably in brisk winds that clocked around slightly without diminishing.
Extreme Sailing
Every season we encounter extreme ranges in age for a given family, sometimes a toddler and his 90-year-old great-grandfather. On the cruise sighting the Navy ship, we had a 5-month-old onboard with her parents and grandparents. Deb and Johnnie Price sailed with us nine years ago and reprised the experience to show off their children and grandchildren.
Johnnie limped slowly down the dock with his cane. He was suffering acute arthritis and was waiting to replace his knee after Deb has her hip replaced.
“In my business, I bought and sold metals such as stainless steel, copper and standard steel,” he recalled. “But I developed prostate cancer, and the chemo messed me up badly. They gave me six pills to take all at once, and I turned out to be allergic to them. I couldn’t lie down, couldn’t sit up, couldn’t eat and could barely breathe. Then I caught Covid — three times.”
By now he was a wreck at age 69, which goes to show how illness can age you. “But that’s all right. I just bought a classic 1956 Chevy Bel-Air with a white top and grey bottom. It’s got a 356 cubic-inch engine and is in great shape. No restoration required. It’s my birthday present.” God bless American optimism.
Next day, Deb wrote me: “Thanks so much for your time and love in taking us on another great day of sailing with our family this time. The pics are awesome! The kids loved every minute of it. You truly are the best as well as, quite the scholar. I was so glad the kids got the history info now that they’re older and will remember it. Please take care and thanks so much again.”
Film Tour
Two mothers from Richmond and Massachusetts who had never met took their sons sailing for the first time. One was on a college tour visiting William & Mary. The other was showing her 7-year-old the gamut from US Navy ships in Norfolk to the 1607 discovery replicas at Jamestown.
I don’t always ask people about work because sometimes they just want to take the day off. Elizabeth Anthony was happy to explain.
“I’m a film historian, focusing on the 1930s and 1940s when the Motion Picture Production Code was in place. Go back and look at those movies and you won’t find anyone swearing and no ethnic slurs. Men could be shown prone over a woman, but only with one foot on the floor. Couples slept in twin beds. You didn’t see any toilets, ever.”
I asked her top five movies. “In no particular order, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, How Green Is My Valley, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, All About Eve, Best Years of Our Lives. You have to be careful about such lists. In 1997 the AFI came out with the top 100 movies of all time, and people set out to see all of them over time. But the top of the list at No. 1 was Citizen Kane. People got turned off by such a weird movie. They wondered what the rest of the list would look like if that was the best of the best.”
Is there a movie she watches repeatedly? “Casablanca, without a doubt. Warner Brothers and the other movie studios back then raced through production to get as many films to market as possible. Despite the fast pace, you can go back and learn something new every time. Just think of the sayings that we still use today from Casablanca: Here’s looking at you, Babe; Round up all the usual suspects; We’ll always have Paris; I’m shocked, I tell you, I’m shocked that there’s gambling here.”
Elizabeth majored in history at Princeton and never took a film course. She wrote a definitive biography of Bette Davis that was picked up for her obituary when she died shortly thereafter. “The New York Times and Entertainment magazine cited me as a source, so I got instant recognition. Today I travel widely doing research.” Her website is reelclassics.com.
“One of my most ambitious projects was the 75th Academy Awards show, where they honored all 59 living winners going way back. They had no idea what these people looked like after they had aged over the years, so they hired me to figure it out. They gave me a staff to help. I worked day and night to set it up so there wouldn’t be any gaffes where someone might say to an old star, ‘Who are you again?’ Among them were Olivia DeHavilland and Mickey Rooney.”
Meanwhile, she helped her son Henry take the wheel as we steered into brisk winds among 3-foot waves. The college-bound fellow helped Henry as well.
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.
Spring Break Sail
A suburban Washington mom took her two young sons sailing on the York in brisk winds and two-foot seas. Caitlin Green works in development, raising funds for nonprofits.
“The goals range from $90 million to as little as $5 million,” she said from the helm. “We’ve already got $50 million for the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, thanks to a wide range of donors. It can be harder for $5 million because not many organizations have close relationships with donors.”
Somehow, we veered off to the Vietnam War. “My father’s draft number was 4, so he was definitely going to go. He enlisted instead and served one or two tours. He was an expert marksman, which he thought the Army would appreciate. But they made him a bugler.” We both pondered that absurdity for a moment. “I guess they had more marksmen than buglers,” she concluded.
Let’s Go Sail
Check the “Book A Cruise” tab and pick a day for a sailboat charter. Scroll down reviews on Trip Advisor. Go back to the home page of Williamsburg Charter Sails.
The best Williamsburg boat tour offers safe sailing daily for up to 6 people. It’s an extraordinary experience for couples. Leave your worries behind. Enjoy the thrill of moving with the wind without a care in the world. Put life back on an even keel with a romantic experience for a birthday or anniversary. 3-hour sailboat cruise as a semi-private yachting charter lets you exhale and relax as you enjoy comfort, stability and speed.
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