Sailing from Rural America

Sailing from Rural America

I get asked, “Do you do birthday sails?” Yes, here’s a 50th birthday sail. The week began with a continued warm front offering flat seas in the morning and rising seas in the afternoon. A couple from rural South Boston VA were celebrating her 50th, and a family from rural North Carolina were in Williamsburg […]

Beware Illegal Boat Charters

Beware illegal boat charters

From workboat.com People will ask, “Is charter sailing legal?” Yes, but only because I’m a USCG certfied master captain, 100 tons. Illegal charters are becoming more of a menace, not just cutting into commercial passenger vessel operators’ business but also raising the specter of accidents leading to higher insurance rates and more regulation. The boats […]

Sailing at 85

Sailing at 85

  People sometimes wonder, “Who’s the oldest sailor?” Here he is. A Maryland family rescheduled a rain date and wound up sailing the York in a rising afternoon breeze that they found a magnificent adventure. Weeks earlier, Kathy Self had hoped to bring her uncle along with her father Jack Green as a birthday surprise […]

Sailing Through a Storm

Sailing Through a Storm

People often ask, “What’s it like to sail through a storm?” It’s challenging, for sure. A young couple from Charlottesville drove all the way to Williamsburg to take three children sailing on the York. They wound up learning quickly about sailing through a storm. Actually, when a storm approaches is the best time to roll […]

20 Best Sailing Jokes

20 Sailing Jokes

Everyone wants to know, “What are the best sailing jokes?” Alternatively, “What are the best boating jokes?” What’s a boat party without nautical jokes? These are gleaned from Yachting & Boating World’s ybw.com.   Barcode Navy Why does the Norwegian navy have bar codes on the side of their ships? So that when the ships […]

Sail Alaska

Sail Alaska

People sometimes ask, “Can you sail in Alaska?” Certainly. Tripp Wood lives in Charlotte NC and Alaska. It’s rare to find anyone who can sail Alaska. “My sons help as deck hands and first mates on our fishing charter out of Whittier, Alaska. I used to sail, and I’ve always wanted them to experience the […]

Sailing the Great Outdoors

Sailing the Great Outdoors

People ask, “Can you sail full-time?” Sailing the Great Outdoors is a way of life for a select few who cruise off the coast and sometimes around the world. Some days are busier than others with big ships coming and going. Winds can become at once fluky and gusty on the York River. We observed […]

Make-A-Wish Sailing

Make-A-Wish Sailing

A Texas family sponsored in Williamsburg by the Make-A-Wish Foundation wound up their vacation with an outdoor adventure by going sailing on the York River. Earlier we got rained out but rescheduled the next day under cloudy and cool conditions. It was actually quite pleasant. Because Let’s Go Sail is ADA compliant, I moved the […]

Who Goes Sailing

Who goes sailing

“It’s remarkable how quickly a good and favorable wind can sweep away the maddening frustrations of shore living.” – Ernest K. Gann Those who cruise with Let’s Go Sail on the York River cross all demographics, but they tend to skew more affluent. They are slightly overweight but never obese, and they have some college […]

What it Takes to Sail

What it takes to sail on the expansive York River is grit, determination, skill – or none of the above. You can make it as challenging as you like, or just relax to enjoy the adventure. Mobility A certain amount of agility is needed to get on and off a boat. The tides run two […]