While sailing in a wonderful breeze, I explained to the Bartlett family of Minnesota how the Coleman Bridge met deadline when it was replaced over the York River between Yorktown and Gloucester Point. For a detailed look at the history of the bridge, check out the video below.
Mike Bartlett served in the “Brown Navy” years ago doing engineering and other work on rivers. “We were dredging the Thames River in Connecticut so that the Seawolf submarine could navigate to and from New London. The Los Angeles class subs were 50 feet wide, but the Seawolf was 62 feet. We dredged for 192 days straight, 24/7, and finished up right at the end of the deadline, with six hours to spare.”
Rookie Sailor
Isaac Brooks, 14, lately got an urge to learn to sail. He researched the techniques and reviewed the characteristics of different boats. Then he asked his parents to go sailing on vacation when they got to Williamsburg from Evergreen, Colorado.
Dan and Julie Brooks and took Isaac and his sister Anna out on the York River for a three-hour cruise. Isaac proved proficient on the points of sail in challenging winds of 10-15 mph. He kept the heeling to a comfortable 10 degrees. He did that by spilling wind and going to a beam reach whenever a gust of wind arose. His concentration was so great that he talked very little. Asked by his folks how things were going, he replied, “Terrific.” We covered 26 miles and he walked off the dock as a budding mariner.
Proficient Sailor
Woody Kessler of Norfolk has been sailing all his life. So he decided to get certified by the American Sailing Association. He could have ridden his skiff from his house on the Elizabeth River to reach the ASA SailTime boats at Willoughby Bay, but he drove over instead.
Woody aced the ASA 101 Challenge test by maneuvering all points of sail to perfection and getting a 98 on the written part of the test. What he learned beyond that is the value of safety and preparation that enable qualified skippers to instill confidence in their crew.
Let’s Go Sail with New Sailors
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.
new sailors new sailors new sailors
