Dog Sailors
We set out to prove that dogs on the boat attract dolphins during the summer.
Dolphins!
Dolphins! recounts a late-season show of 10+ dolphins that lasted 35 minutes long, a record. Let’s go sail.
Dog Sailors
We set out to prove that dogs on the boat attract dolphins during the summer.
York Sailing
Ever since 1982, a blind man has always wanted to be on the water sailing, and he did it here. Let’s go sail.
New Sailor
“I grew up in Rhode Island and always went on motorboats with my dad,” said Hannah Zaino as she slipped behind the helm on windy day of 15 mph southerlies. “It had never occurred to me to take a sailing lesson.” He daughter Maureen arranged the trip for Hannah’s 70th birthday, bringing along three guests […]
Stout Sailors
Stout Sailors show a US Navy destroyer coming into Yorktown en route to the Naval Weapons Station. Let’s go sail.
Last Call
Last Call recounts the end of dolphin season, plus flying the spinnaker.
Navy Sail
For six weeks, we saw nary a Navy warship. Then two showed up within two days. Three days later, the first ship left to go out to sea. A New Hampshire couple was aboard, having taken their ASA 101 course on Lake Champlain. I thought it only fitting that the navigate under the Coleman Bridge […]
Childhood Sail
Some people have wonderful childhood sail memories, largely about their parents. While sailing the York with his wife Melissa, Ralph Leonard recalled his dad. “We sailed a trimaran off the coast of Florida to the Bahamas. I guest it took maybe a day. We stayed overnight on the beach and sailed back the next day. […]
Emergency Sail
Emergency Sail recounts tales of the ER and sunning deck, among other items.
Excessive Sail
Yorktown is abuzz about a giant cruise ship coming into port next year, ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Typical headline: Princess Cruises shares update on Yorktown Voyage, but not everyone is on board The company announced in February that it would add Yorktown to the list of ports, largely because […]
Sail Air Force
A local couple took their family sailing on a beautiful Sunday morning. Enrique Lara is retiring from the Air Force after 23 years in a unique career. “I run vehicle logistics for the Air Force,” he said casually and added, “all over the world.” Not planes, mind you, but vehicles. I asked how many. […]
Submarine Sighted
While exiting Sarah Creek with a couple from Phoenix AZ, I heard a radio call on Channel 16: “White hull sailboat in the York River, this is the United States Navy warning about an approaching submarine.” I looked around and saw two Moran tugboats rumbling upriver toward the Coleman Bridge, but no submarine. The radio […]
Secrets to Getting Married on a Sailboat
I get asked, “Are their secrets to getting married on a sailboat?” Let’s go sail the York River, where couples enjoy a serene three hours. Getting married in a unique setting is all the rage, whether on top of a mountain or in a canyon. These “venue weddings” are big in Williamsburg, where you […]
Sailing Back to Virginia
People ask, “What if it rains?” Two weeks of rain led to a third week, but we were away in Florida. Finally, the skies cleared and charter returned as we went Sailing Virginia again. On this day we got to fly the spinnaker not once, but twice, and gybing as well. Check out the video […]
Grounded Off NC Coast
People ask, “What’s it like to run aground?” Awful, actually. My friend Tom Byrd was vacationing in Corolla NC when he spotted this 40-ish sailboat grounded off the NC coast. Unlike Nags Head farther south where the riptides rip, Corolla is known to be very shallow along the water. That’s why families can let their […]
Dolphin Cruise
A Richmond family celebrated Dad’s 50th birthday with an exciting sail on the York River that included up to a dozen dolphins. Kathleen Kirschman brought her daughters along, and Michael Kirschman brought his high-powered camera which came in handy. Everyone shot numerous pics as we picked up the dolphins outside Sarah Creek. They ran behind […]
What’s the Deal with Dolphin Sightings?
While Let’s Go Sail doesn’t promote it, we get asked all the time, “What’s the deal with dolphin sightings?” People looking for boat rentals and sailing charters get an added adventure on the York River. The Couvion family of suburban St. Louis crossed at least two rivers to go sailing on the York. First the […]
Scariest Sailing Moments
FALLING Among all of the scariest sailboat moments, this is usually the first. It may sound silly, but you and your crew risk falling as you board the boat. In all the excitement, people typically make a leap of faith while holding something in one hand or both. The landing pushes the boat just enough […]
Dolphins!
People ask, “Do you ever see dolphins while sailing?” For the first time this year, we saw dolphins in May in the York River. Two couples from New Jersey and Tennessee got up close as the dolphins zoomed in the wake of the sailboat while cruising the York River. Art Ford spotted two of them […]