“I grew up in Rhode Island and always went on motorboats with my dad,” said Hannah Zaino as she slipped behind the helm on windy day of 15 mph southerlies. “It had never occurred to me to take a sailing lesson.”
He daughter Maureen arranged the trip for Hannah’s 70th birthday, bringing along three guests who were landlubbers. Recently Hannah completed ASA 101, 103 and 104 during a weeklong series of classes in Rock Hall MD.
“Now I have an 18-foot sailboat behind my condo in Southall Landing at Buckroe Beach in Hampton VA. “I can get out on the Bay anytime, and I love it.” On the York River, she navigated mile after mile in lumpy seas under a bright sunny sky. We passed USCG Coasties practicing towing and MOB.
Maureen used to work at Jamestown Settlement and learned a lot about Capt. John Smith. “He was totally self-absorbed, as if he was really something. Loud and temperamental, he stood 4 feet 11 under his curly red hair. Powhatan made fun of him and used Pocahontas to make him feel important.”
Dog Sailors
I encourage people to bring their dogs because it makes everyone calmer and the dog does just fine. In summer, they tend to attract dolphins who think they are protecting the dog from some unknown threat. The dog is clueless, of course.
Tammy and Larry Waitsman of Fairfax VA took their schnauzer Tikki sailing for the first time, and she enjoyed herself. The only complaint was when I sent the couple up to the bow cushion for some privacy time. Tikki whined until I assured her they were fine and would come back.
“We found you on bringfido.com,” Tammy reported. “We use the website all the time. One time we drove from West Virginia to Texas and used Fido-recommended places everywhere. The best was Grapevine TX, where everyone is dog-friendly — stores, restaurants and attractions.”
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.
Family Sail
A family living in three locations of North Carolina assembled for a vacation in Williamsburg. Kim Arnold wrote, “Roy, me, 2 grown sons & wives. We are here on our family vacation before our first grandchild is born.”
Roy used to sail as a youngster but never since. He did great on the helm in rising winds because after all those years he still had the knack for seeing the wind.
Towing Class
USCG small boats from the Yorktown Training Center are shown practicing towing each other. In the background at left, another small boat is actually towing some poor fisherman toward Yorktown. Ironic, eh?
Conspiracy Sail
Various family members from at least three states assembled under Meredeth Mendelsohn’s guidance for a cruise in light winds and overcast skies that kept things cool. Among them were her sister-in-law Cindy Matthews, who graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1985.
We got to talking somehow about the Parkway Murders in which two lesbians were killed by an unknown assailant. Cindy said, “My classmate was once of the victims! She was dating a guy from the Middle East who was shocked that he dropped her in favor of a woman. So, he stalked her and followed them onto the Parkway one night. He killed them both and set the car on fire. Then he fled the country, and the government couldn’t extradite him. It went unresolved.”
Meredith used to sail a 38-foot Beneteau, so she had no problem navigating light winds that occasionally piped up.
Schooner Racers
Doug Drummond and his wife Colleen took two sailor couples out on the York one afternoon, as the wind rose and fell and rose again. Ron and Lilly Andrews are experienced sailors from nearby Irvington, where they used to dock a 52-foot Benneteau behind their house on Carter Creek.
Invariably the Big Storm came up. Lilly said, “We were crossing the Irish channel from England on a ferry that took overnight to get to Ireland. My three guys are sound sleepers, but in the middle of the night I thought something was wrong. In the morning, I asked at the front desk if that was normal. ‘Oh no, dear. That was big storm!'” Ron interjected, “It knocked out windows on the ferry.”
“The thing is, they never warned us,” Lilly added. “So, on the way back from Ireland, they did warn us this time of an approaching storm. I was quite worried, but it turned out to be glass.”
Ron said, “That’s not as bad as crossing from Wales. The tides are so severe that people on shore looking for seashells drown from the incoming tide.”
For Ron’s 50th birthday, they rode the Great Chesapeake Schooner Race from Annapolis to Norfolk, which took around 36 hours. “I saw a storm coming in the distance and told Lilly we should go below. The captain dismissed it, but 20 minutes later he told everyone to go below. He was inexperienced at sea, and it showed. People were so close together that some of them got seasick. In our bunks, we were holding our hands up to the ceiling for support. One guy died in the storm, though not on our boat.”
Earlier that day, Kim Talbot of Williamsburg took her pal Cindy Mitchell sailing for the first time. “I wanted to get her out on the water and see what it’s like. She’s from Las Vegas, where the only water is in the gutter.”
Kim has taught piano for 51 years, and it showed. Her concentration on the helm was extraordinary despite fluky and shifting winds. She stayed with it non-stop — standing all the way.
I asked if she ever had a student who just didn’t get it. “Yes, just one. I worked with a boy for three times a week for a long time. I finally told his mother, ‘It must be me; get another teacher. (But I did successfully teach his two sisters.)”
Bright Sailors
A family and a couple joined up to sail a light breeze under sunny skies. Sailing almost became incidental among intense conversations over politics, federal RIFs, gender, AI and science. Here’s who we had:
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A federal contract officer
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A federal housing contractor
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A Fullbright scholar and Phi Beta Kappa member
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A new MSBA graduate from W&M, also PBK -
Both of whom were on the W&M national gymnast team
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A public defender assistant
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An aerospace engineer with NASA
Kissing Sailors
Two cruise ships docked at Yorktown are packed so tightly that you could pass the Grey Poupon from aft to bow.
Tight Turn
Two Moran tugboats from Norfolk maneuver a US Navy submarine 180 degrees to a starboard docking at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Note the fantail at right.
Burial at Sea
The McDougal family of Williamsburg and beyond took the remains of their beloved father/uncle David out into the York River for burial at sea. The wind was strong, and we had to double back at the edge of the Bay because the seas were getting rough. Nonetheless, it was a somber and respectful ceremony with music in the background.
“He very much enjoyed sailing the Chesapeake,” Claudia McDougal said. “He would line us kids up on the side to add weight for the wind; it was quite an adventure.”
Delivery Captain
People marvel at my business model and what a great adventure it is every day. But I marvel at a marina buddy of mine who has a greater adventure.
Scott Rainey is a delivery captain whom I helped get started with leads through the Chesapeake Area Captains Association. He recently returned from Rhode Island.
“I took a 36-foot powerboat up the Chesapeake Bay, through the C&D Canal, and then New York to Newport. It only took three days because the Long Island Sound was pure glass.”
That was a few days ago. “Yesterday, I came in from down South with a 44 Lagoon. We managed to hit the Gulf Stream and went from 7 knots to 12 knots all the way to Diamond Shoals off the Outer Banks. That was nice.” I asked about bad weather on a big catamaran.
“They don’t wobble so much as hobby-horse up and down. I’ve got another run next week, so they keep coming. Not a bad gig in semi-retirement.” He usually has one crew member along to help out, and he has a vast knowledge of big boats to keep him on an even keel out there.
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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