For the first time this season, we a Navy sub was sighted while docked at the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. It was hard to notice because it was in the shadow of the much larger USS Paul Hamilton, which had arrived a few days earlier.
This one is a Los Angeles class sub, according to a retired USCG officer on board Let’s Go Sail. He determined that by the shape of the tower. A big factor in the stealth nature of Navy subs is their absorbent black hull, which mitigates sheen. But you couldn’t tell that from the photo, which captured the sunlight reflection quite well.
Cold Water
This late in the season, the York River is still 75 degrees. But that’s chilly enough to ward off the summer dolphins. Karen and Mark Allen of New NC accompanied four retired schoolteachers and recalled from the helm his experience up north.
“We were on vacation at a state park in Maine, above Booth Bay Harbor. I decided to get in the water to test it. It was so cold that it turned my shirt this color (blue) and I was shaking uncontrollably. My son got in as well, and he complained. I told him to suck it up. The water was so cold that ever since then he can’t whistle.”
Mark clarified that the water was a constant 55 degrees. “It stays the same, but the air temperature changes.”
Why?
All of a sudden and quite inextricably, the smokestack at the Yorktown power plant has been stripped of its red and white stripes that were useful to aircraft and mariners alike. The plant has been shut down for 12 years. Even if they were fixing to raze the stack, why remove the paint? To repaint it, even though it’s defunct.
Parkway Update
Two of five segments of the Colonial Parkway rebuild will open by year-end, but it doesn’t matter. You still can’t drive between Williamsburg and Yorktown. That’s not likely until mid-2026.
Jerri Marr, superintendent of Colonial National Historic Park, briefed two gatherings of citizens Oct. 24, at the James City County Government Center. She started by raving about WAVY-10’s report on the ribbon cutting of the shoreline restoration. That comprises about $24 million of the $130 million project, which began last year and totals 80,000 tons of rock rip-rap.
She also showed interesting before-and-after photos of the parkway work from the 1930s and today, suggesting that highway technology has improved vastly over the years.
She said that the 3-year closure would have taken another year if officials had opted for 1-lane closures to keep the parkway open, as was the case last time in 1992. “It would have cost $1.5 million more,” she said. “Today I can tell you the project is on time and on budget.”
John Washington of the contractor Wagman/JMT Design Build team showed slides of the progress to date. He clarified that the project covers only 10 of the 23 miles of parkway, including the tunnel at Williamsburg. Jerri Marr said the new LED lighting will take away the “spooky” element of driving through on a rainy night.
There were implications that the stretch from Route 238 in Yorktown to Penniman Road was now open, which would include Route 199 and therefore work for commuters. But a drive down 199 to Cheatham Annex proved negative.
Half a Ship
One of the stranger sights on the York is the R/V Virginia, which stands for Research Vessel Virginia. It’s based at nearby VIMS and on this weekend was running tour cruises up and down the river, according to the captain whom I reached on marine radio. The thing looks like the back half of the ship fell off. The stern is apparently used for trolling.
We saw this along with a couple from the Winchester area who were celebrating their 35th anniversary. Since the winds were light, they sailed for an hour and spent the remaining two cuddling on the bow in the fall sunlight.
From the R/V website: The 93-foot research vessel Virginia—purpose-built for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 2018—is available for use both by VIMS researchers and external parties. It offers flexibility in science outfitting, rapid turn-around for frequent use, and affordable operation. The vessel is easily adaptable to evolving scientific research areas such as environmental impact studies, the servicing of ocean-observing systems, and offshore-energy exploration and development surveys.
Army Sailor
Next day, a couple from Scotts Hill TN took their son Bo out sailing on his day off from the US Army at Fort Eustis. He’s studying to become a helicopter mechanic.
“We study the Blackbird by taking it apart for others to do the actual repairs. Then we reassemble it. When I return to my National Guard unit in Tennessee, they’ll probably make me a crew chief for helicopters. I did eight weeks of Basic Training at Fort Jackson and 17 weeks here for AIT.”
By coincidence, his mother Misty Brantley also did Basic Training at Fort Jackson, years ago. “I was medically discharged,” she said, “because of damage done to both knees.”
Bo’s understanding of the dynamics of helicopters greatly informed his learning to sail. The wind was blowing over 10 mph out of the northeast, and he finessed it like a pro. His most harrowing (to me) discovery at his Fort Eustis school is that the giant rotors of Chinook CH-47 troop helicopters come within 2-1/2 inches of hitting each other while flying.
Misty reacted to my story that the James is one of the longest rivers in America that starts and stops in its own state. “We live near the Tennessee River, which is the only one that flows north instead of south. It begins at the Ohio River near Knoxville.” She sent me a link that traces quite a circuitous route:
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The Tennessee River begins upstream of Knoxville, Tennessee. The river flows 652 miles south then west across northern Alabama and a small portion of northern Mississippi before turning north to Kentucky where the river discharges into the Ohio River only miles upstream from the Mississippi River.
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A small portion of the Tennessee River’s headwaters can be found in six north Georgia counties: Cole City Creek (Dade County); Lookout Creek (Catoosa); Chattanooga Creek (Catoosa); West and South Chickamauga Creeks (Catoosa); Fightingtown Creek (Fannin); Toccoa River (Fannin); Nottely River (Union); Hiawassee River (Towns); and Little Tennessee River (Rabun).
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.
Old Salt
On a magnificent autumn afternoon, Sydney Duval of Williamsburg and her beau Steve Gray of Fredericksburg sailed briskly along the York. “I used to race a 38 Scarab across the Gulf of Mexico,” she said. “We sailed from Sanibel Island, and it wasn’t much fun on the helm while managing two kids aged 5 and 8. There were no seatbelts to keep them under control. This is much better.” She sailed for hours as the sun began to set early.
Then we encountered someone on a J-95 near the buoy R-22. He shouted to me, and I recognized the voice. It was Ken Lury, formerly of Wormley Marina and now out of Perrindise Marina in Gloucester. “I just bought this,” he shouted across the water. “I can single-hand it, and it goes like a bat of hell!” Which is exactly what it was doing. “Good for you!” I shouted. Ken is north of 80, so there’s hope for us all.
Let’s Go Sail
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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