People ask, “Do you ever get old salts?” After the rain cleared out unexpectedly, two friends from years ago went sailing on the York River to recreate the scene from down east Maine.
Kay McLeod came up from North Carolina to take her mentor and pal Carol Haussermann out on the water. Kay said, “We thought the day was a washout, but it cleared up nicely. We took the Jamestown Ferry to Surry and turned around and took it back, just to be on the water.”
As the afternoon sun began to set, rays streaked across the water like something out of “On Golden Pond.” Carol took it all in. “We used to go from Boston down to Maine to spend summers on the coast,” she said. “I know Maine is up from Boston but the term relates to down east. I spent many wonderful days on the water, and this is just like that.”
We sailed down river as Kay negotiated a few gusts. Having never sailed before, she was apprehensive but willing. Before long, the got the gist.
Carol was a coach at the College of William & Mary, and Kay was an undergrad there. Carol is a spry 93. She is the oldest salt to enjoy Let’s Go Sail. Most of the oldtimers are men in their 80s who gave up sailing years ago and still have a hankering. My favorite was a fellow from Newport News who grew up on the James. As a young man, he took a small boat one afternoon and got caught in a quick squall. The boat swamped and overturned, leaving him to cling to the hull all night long as the USCG searched for him. The next day, he was covered in stings from jellyfish. He told the story at my request to successive sailing classes of the Williamsburg Area Learning Tree. Grayson died in 2019 at the age of 90.
Let’s Go Sailing with an Old Salt
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Old Salt Old Salt Old Salt
