Sometime in the past few days, a Navy submarine glided into Yorktown Naval Weapons Station from the Norfolk Navy Base. It was tucked behind a guided missile cruiser and otherwise invisible except for the distinctive conning tower. The giveaway from afar is a crane parked nearby to load the Tomahawk missile and the Moran tug tied off to the pier. Normally the tugs return to NOR, but they stay 24/7 for the subs. A few days later, the tug and sub were gone.
We saw all this while taking a mom and her three kids sailing on a warm and breezy day. Andrea Demers lives in Saratoga Springs NY but went to William & Mary Law School years ago. “We have a Navy base in Saratoga, but obviously not with the water,” she said.
Andrea is a malpractice attorney, with a twist. She defends doctors and hospitals from patient claims. The crux is the consent decree that everyone signs. Without substantial proof of negligence, the cases go nowhere. She said around half fit the criteria, but defense attorneys never want to go to trial because juries are notorious for siding against doctors.
We also talked briefly about the seemingly secret cadre of Chinese students who matriculate every year at W&M Law. Andrea said they take their law school training in China and come here for extra certification that enables them to practice in America. Wonder if the tariff tornado is affecting them.
She did a fine job on the helm in stiff winds that eventually died off. “I sailed with my parents in the Caribbean as a child. It was 44 feet and my mom was the captain. We sailed from island to island for a week at a time. I loved it but my sister hated it. I could sleep anytime on a sailboat. Mom was good in the storms but admitted, “Perhaps we bit off more than we could chew.”
Sub Story
In the afternoon, two more couples went out. Timothy French and his wife Kimberle are electricians in Arizona. He used to be in the Navy. “I went in in 1990 and went to Sub School, then served in Key West. This was during the Gulf War, so we were on high alert.
I’m always curious about claustrophobia on a sub. Tim said they get them right off the boat before it gets any worse. What about seasickness? “Get over it.”
I asked if they ran long stretches underwater, and he said no. How frequently did you come for air? “Every eight hours or so,” he said nonchalantly. Every eight hours? He shrugged. “We had to surface to get radio traffic to receive messages. Mostly it was officers finding out what the sports scores were that day.” Go Navy.
Lake Lure
Two unrelated couples from Philadelphia went sailing on a windy day that started out rainy and brightened up. Michael Heinz mentioned Lake Lure NC as a peculiar place. “It’s a hundred feet deep and only a hundred feet across in some parts. They filled in a holler for a hydro-electric power plant, and it has since become a tourist spot.”
Toward the end of the sail, the winds picked up to 25 mph and led to difficulties pulling in the reefed jib and full mainsail because what we perceived as a gust was really sustained for 15 minutes straight. It was a cross between a Strong Breeze and Near Gale on the Beaufort Scale. Everyone pitched in, and within minutes we were good. But wonder of wonder, we saw two dolphins off the aft. That’s remarkable for April as they usually don’t show up until late June.
How To
A visiting trawler was the first boat to tie up at the new moorings at Riverwalk Landing. The captain adroitly stepped off the bow and draped the bowline around the post and brought it back to the forward cleat. To depart, he will simply release at the bow cleat and pull the line back to the boat. Much safer than other techniques.
Family Sailing
A family from Philadelphia and another from The Bronx went sailing on a lovely day with gentle southwesterlies. A half hour in, the winds clocked around 180 degrees to the northeast and picked up speed to 10 mph. The temperature dropped 10 degrees because the wind was now coming across the Bay.
Valerie Kabul is a physician’s assistant based at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. I recalled that it was ground zero during Covid, and she confirmed that. “Yes, it was very bad.”
She prefers working as a PA to an MD. “Not because becoming a doctor is harder, but it takes longer and costs much more in terms of schooling. I can do just about anything a doctor can. The hospital pays my malpractice insurance.” I wondered about the difference between a PA and a nurse practitioner. “They are similar, but the NP skews more toward nursing.”
Valerie’s medical training suited her well on the helm, for she exhibited high concentration as the winds rose and fell and changed direction.
We watched as a USCG training boat maneuvered to perform a rescue of a pink rubber doll in the water. The Coasties kept overshooting the object and nearly backed over it, where the prop would have done a fatal job.
World Travelers
Two couples who had never met wound up sailing the York River in a stiff breeze that required reefing.
Barbara and Larry Yurdin live in Stratford CT, where they run a 52-Bertam on Long Island Sound. He used to sail with his brothers and other fellows, so he was quite adroit on the wheel. “Barbara’s father used to have a 58-foot Chris Craft that was very elegant but high maintenance. We named our boat Wanderer III after his Wanderer I and II.”
Larry was sporting a Windstar windbreaker. He and Barbara chimed in together. “We took a magnificent cruise in Tahiti. We flew from New York to Los Angles at first. The ship was wonderful.” I asked if they sent crew up to the yardarm to unfurl the sails. “No,” Barbara explained. “They had this dramatic moment with music and drumroll as they let the sails out — electronically.”
The other couple werefrom Germany and now live in the UK. “We’re going to Paris next week,” Toby Miarka said. “It takes only 2-1/2 hours, with 15 or 20 minutes traveling through the Chunnel. You don’t even notice it because it’s so fast.” Katya Miarka added, “Here in this country your distances are so vast. We drove to Savannah and it took forever.”
Women enjoy sailing today more than ever, and particularly a romantic cruise. Couples get to enjoy a romantic getaway as they sit up on the bow for privacy, and Let’s Go Sail provides professional photos for free. First-time or skilled mariners are welcome to sail a modern-32-foot sailboat in a unique setting of wildlife and Fall foliage or Spring bloom. It makes for an extraordinary anniversary idea.
Let’s Go Sail to See Sub Sails In
Check the “Book A Cruise” tab and pick a day for a sailboat charter. Scroll down reviews on Trip Advisor. Go back to the home page of Williamsburg Charter Sails.
The best Williamsburg boat tour offers safe sailing daily for up to 6 people. It’s an extraordinary experience for couples. Leave your worries behind. Enjoy the thrill of moving with the wind without a care in the world. Put life back on an even keel with a romantic experience for a birthday or anniversary. 3-hour sailboat cruise as a semi-private yachting charter lets you exhale and relax as you enjoy comfort, stability and speed.
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