Williamsburg Sails PeytonThere’s the Ghost Fleet of reserve ships in the James River, down from hundreds of boats to around a dozen today. Then there are the ghosts of Williamsuburg, originally compiled in a book by the late L.B. Taylor Jr. He claimed to be agnostic about ghosts but went on to write more than a dozen volumes covering cities all over Virginia.

Some years ago an enterprising woman developed a ghost tour of Colonial Williamsburg, which appalled historians as irrelevant. Eventually Colonial Williamsburg recanted and developed its own ghost tour. Yorktown has one too, focusing more on the town than the York River. People are wild about these tours, and the most famous one in Williamsburg is that of the Peyton Randolph House.

Tourist experts are puzzled by the popularity of ghost tours. One theory is that American history can be overwhelming for children and adults, but everyone can relate to ghosts. Plus, there’s no quiz.

More from the Captain...

Season Opener

Season Opener

After a shakedown cruise with a delightful couple from Fredericksburg, we launched the season opener with a fellow who brought his wife and sisters-in-law along for his third time at Let’s Go Sail. Since it was a Monday, we were on the lookout for two Moran tugs that would signal

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Good Riddance

As many as 20 derelict sailboats and motorboats on the Hards at York River Yacht Haven are in the process of being crushed and trucked away. A few wooden boats date to the 1940s. Once the hill is cleared and graded, more current boats will move here from down the

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Danger Sails

Danger Sails

A couple from metro Richmond returned for another sail and brought friends with them. Donna Ludwig recalled the last time she and Buddy went sailing. “It was with my brother-in-law on his sailboat, slightly smaller than this, say 27 feet. It was a day like today and we had a

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