Twice in one day, Navy warships departed the Naval Weapons Station at Yorktown and sailed out to sea. First came the USS Mahan, followed two hours later by the USS Mitscher. In the first case, the Coleman Bridge once again got stuck at the closing and took an extra ten minutes. Didn’t see what happened in the latter transit.
Divergent Sailors
Couples always enjoy sailing, some so much that they take it up. That sort of happened with Glenn Shiple and his gal Julie Lupkin, from Richmond. He enjoyed winds of 10-5 mph that had the boat heeling to 20 degrees. It was exhilarating to all on board except Julie. I asked her afterward what she thought, and she said quite evenly, “I will never again set foot on a sailboat.”
I knew she had vertigo, but there was more to the story as relayed by our other guest, Dianne Graham:
Please do not be offended by Julie’s comments. In my conversation with her, I learned that:
(1) she never did like sailing
(2) due to vertigo, she can only sit at the back of a boat, facing forward. She knows how to deal with that and never did experience any vertigo or nausea, yesterday.
(3) she developed a herniated disk a few months ago, so every time the boat heeled, it caused her to change position, which aggravated her back. That is why she only wanted level sailing with little to no heeling. Maybe a motorboat on a calm lake would better suit her.
Old Salt
Brothers Bill and Don Sensenig diverged from New Hampshire and Chicago to visit their 84-year-old father Bill Sr., who lives in nearby Irvington. They grew up sailing under his tutelage and hadn’t forgotten a thing. Lucky for us, the wind was blowing a steady 15 mph out of the west on a sunny day, allowing us to zoom out the York River and into Chesapeake Bay as far as buoy G-21.
“I used to sail a Mariner 36 and then finished up with a 40-foot Island Packet,” Bill Sr. recalled. On the longer boat, I singlehanded the Delmarva Circumnavigation. I set out from the C&D Canal and got to Norfolk in 24 hours. I was supposed to rest overnight, but I kept going and got back the next day.
“At night, I saw a big boat out there with huge wings. It turned out to be a fishing rig. I was headed right for it, so I tried to disengage my autohelm, but it was stuck. Then I cut off all electrical power at the circuit breaker, and that did it. Managed to avoid the rig. I also saw an aircraft carrier out there.”
All three took the helm over the course of four hours. Bill Sr. topped out at 16.6 mph and heeling to 32 degrees. He was having the time of his life as he and his sons recollected earlier sails as boys. We made it all the way out to G-21 in the York Channel headed to Norfolk.
The next day, Bill Jr. wrote a stunning review: Living far from dad makes visits difficult. Being able to roll back all the years since last time the three of us sailed together has provided a very special memory that will be deeply cherished. Your low-key approach to the day made it even better. Thanks. again.
Potential Sailors
Tabbatha and Russell Terry of Piney River VA have always had powerboats and were looking to buy a sailboat. They brought along another couple whom they travel with, and they had a great time.
“It’s so quiet,” Russell said, as opposed to motoring. We talked about the hurricane season, and he said, “We took a trip through the Dismal Swamp but had to cut it short due to Hurricane Debby. That’s the second time Debby has ruined my life,” he added, in reference to his first wife.
“My adventuring days are over” Russell said later. “Last year, I fell 150 feet off a cliff while driving and ATV with my son on board. He was okay, but I broke three ribs and got a concussion that required I sleep in a chair for months so as not to pass out.”
As an added sales pitch for sailing, we threw up the spinnaker and sailed five miles. They were dazzled by its beauty.
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.
Replica Ship
Just in time for Yorktown Day Oct. 19, the replica ship NAO Trinidad sailed into port. It’s a tall ship from Spain that tours the world raising funds. It’s technically a barque and 89.5 feet long. For a look at larger tall ships, click here.
From the website of Tall Ships America:
The Nao Victoria Foundation is a non-profit entity specializes in promoting and spreading historical events, which are supported by the construction of historical ships (the Nao Victoria, El Galeón and the Nao Santa María) that are sailed throughout the world’s ports. The vessels are a powerful, unique and very attractive marketing and educational platform that have been used successfully to support great world events during the last decade. Our vessels have taken part in national and international expositions and events with great media exposure and publicity.
The Nao TRINIDAD is a replica of the 16th century flagship of the Magellan-Elcano expedition, the first to sail around the world. The replica was built in Spain and completed in 2018. It weighs 200 gross tons, is 93ft long and 26ft wide, and has three masts with five sails. The hull is made of tropical Iroko and pinewood and has five decks.
Fire Training
Marine 1, the name of the York County fire boat, did training on the York River north of its home port at Wormley Creek on a quiet Sunday morning.
Exceptional Sail
We had aboard a retired USCG lieutenant who’s a specialist with the Search and Rescue unit of the Eighth District spanning New Orleans and the Mississippi coast. Scott Talbot and his wife Amy were on vacation with her parents, and they all stayed at the special housing unit of nearby Cheatham Annex.
From under the Coleman Bridge, we could see in the distance a Navy submarine docked at NWS Yorktown. Scott used our binoculars to identify it as a Los Angeles class attack sub. “You can tell by the tower, the shape of it. They’re probably loading torpedoes, and when they do, they jam all electronic traffic in the immediate area so that cell phones can’t work.”
He added, “When I was in OCS at the Coast Guard Academy, we’d watch tugboat escort subs down the river. They would have tarps over the stern so that no one could take pictures of the prop in the water. The props are top secret because they make zero cavitation, that is no noise whatsoever.”
Scott trained on the Coast Guard barque Eagle. “We once sailed from Connecticut to San Francisco. It’s 222 feet long and 147 feet tall. The lines are modern but they’re covered in special material to resemble hemp. It’s so sharp that it tore my hands up. So I opted instead to climb the yards to avoid pulling on the lines. There I was, way up there, heeling to 30 degrees over the ocean to drop the sails. Never again. I’ve been scared of heights ever since.”
Lately, he’s been testifying at the trial of the owner of the Titan submersible that imploded last year. “That was an accident waiting to happen.” Most of his work is documenting SAR along the Gulf Coast. “In the summer, we average four fatalities every day.”
Sailor, 88
In the afternoon, we watched the USS Paul Hamilton enter the York River and proceed to NWS Yorktown. Susan Astin took her dad sailing for his 88th birthday. Tom Astin was sharp as a tack and inevitably took the helm like an old master. “You know what they say about sailing: Hours of boredom and moments of terror.” Everyone roared with laughter.
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