Two dynamic couples visiting Williamsburg from Greensboro took a short sailing vacation on the York River.

Having never been on a sailboat before, they did a fabulous job running the rig, raising the spinnaker, and conducting a man overboard exercise to rescue a hat—my hat actually. We saw a half dozen dolphin, who trailed the boat perhaps for the last time this year as the river water begins to cool.

Kelsey White is an RN going for her master’s in anesthesia. Her husband Justin is a public accountant. Kate Sigmon manages a department store, and her husband Greg is in optician sales. He’s the first sales rep we’ve had on board all season, so we regaled each other with stories about clients.

Greg’s was the first ballcap we lost. Typically the procedure is to do a heave-to by locking up the genoa and returning to find the man overboard, ie. hat. But we were under spinnaker sail and couldn’t simply turn 180 degrees without mashing the sail all over the shrouds. By the time we got the chute down, we were a quarter mile from the hat. Despite our best efforts to recover it, it was lost. Perhaps it will show up on a dolphin’s nose. Later my hat blew off while near the channel, and because we were under conventional sail it was easier to fetch.
To reserve a date to go sailing, click here.

More from the Captain...

Set Sail into History

Set Sail into History

Members of Kingsmill Yacht Club are sitting in the catbird seat for two nautical extravaganzas during America’s 250th anniversary this summer. A Parade of Sail in Norfolk on June 19 will feature 60 ships and naval vessels from 20 countries, proceeding along the coast from Virginia Beach into Norfolk in

Full Story >
Foreign Sails

Foreign Sails

A couple from Northern Virginia enjoyed a beautiful day on the water with their two children. Lourdes Garcia-Calderon spent six months on a steam-powered cruise ship outfitted for educational research. “We had 300-400 students and 200 crew, which was less than normal due to a SARS outbreak in China,” she

Full Story >