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...

Last Sail

Last Sail

It was a cold and dreary afternoon in late November when I took Stephen Warrick out for the fourth time, with his pal Lisa Fronkenberger. They took ASA 101 together with two other people whom they will join for a combined 103/104 that will take them three days and two

Full Story >
Stuck Again

Stuck Again

It took more than an hour for the USS Jason Dunham to transit the Coleman Bridge because it was stuck closed. Afterward, it got stuck at the end while closing. Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions. According to ChatGPT: Yes, the Coleman Bridge is experiencing extended delays

Full Story >
Rogue Pots

Rogue Pots

According to Chat GPT, illegal or abandoned crab pots—known as “ghost pots”—are a growing concern in the York River, with thousands being removed due to their environmental impact. The ones pictured here are not abandoned, just illegal. They form the end of a long string of pots recently dropped along

Full Story >