Sailing is all about you

Sailing is all about you

Charter sailing is all about you. Exquisite customer service compels attention by the skipper to get it right, and quickly. It’s helpful to size up at the dock some of the things people are looking for on a three-hour sail. They may have already indicated a preference for one of three cruises: Adventure, History, Lessons. […]

Weathering a Hurricane

Weathering a Hurricane

  When he published “Travels with Charley” in 1962, John Steinbeck was arguably the most famous living author in America. His bestsellers traced American society during the mid-century in “The Grapes of Wrath,” “Cannery Row” and “East of Eden,” among other books. Before he set out to see the country, Steinbeck had to prepare his […]

Sunset cruise

Sunset cruise

The romance of a sunset cruise is undeniable, when it goes well. The axiom “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight” is a helpful indicator that the sky will remain clear. Except when it doesn’t, and rain falls—in the dark. After a long day at work, couples enjoy a sunset cruise to relax, but nothing could […]

Ultimate Guide to Sailing

Ultimate Guide to Sailing

While vacationing in Williamsburg, Colleen McGowan thought it would be fun for her children to test the waters of Virginia. “They’ve grown up on boats, ever since they were babies. But they’re never been on a sailboat, so I thought they should learn. I have a 28 Silverton that we run in New Jersey. It’s […]

Growing Up Cruising on Chesapeake Bay

Growing Up Cruising on Chesapeake Bay

Everyone has a recollection about their childhood boating experiences. Valerie Axel recalls fondly growing up on Chesapeake Bay as a continuous adventure. She related her story while sailing the York River with her husband Neil on a magnificent spring afternoon. “We spent the summers cruising the Bay in my father’s 48-foot Chris Craft. He was […]

12 Secrets to Ocean Sailing with Kids

12 Secrets to Ocean Sailing with Kids

Repeat customers are a joy because they were obviously pleased the adventure the first time. This time, two teachers from Central Virginia went sailing with a vengeance because he’s about to go to sea. And today was his birthday. Robert and Elizabeth Hale-MacKinnon teach eighth and fourth grade respectively at the Charlottesville Waldorf School, in the Montessori […]

Best Quick Guide to Cayman Paradise

Best Quick Guide to Cayman Paradise

We returned to Grand Cayman after an earlier vacation, looking for relaxation and the Caribbean sunsets. Every day is sunny, warm and breezy, comparable to perhaps 30 days all year in Tidewater Virginia. No wonder people flock here from Ohio, Canada, Germany, Poland, you name it. There are no panhandlers, no crime, no police sirens, […]

Sailing Past Navy Destroyer

  While on a weekend getaway from Washington, DC, Dave Ramish took his girlfriend Ilana Freedman sailing for some outdoor fun off Yorktown. They hit the jackpot by observing a rare Saturday departure of a Navy warship from the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. We set out with anticipation after a chilly, drizzly morning into clearing […]

Season Opener

Season Opener, Let's Go Sail

People ask, “How early does the season beging?” We begin in mid-March for hardy sailors who can tolerate the chill on the water. For the season opener of Let’s Go Sail in 2017, Hannah and Jeff Davis drove up from the Danville area of Virginia to take their daughter Haylee and her friend Bella sailing […]

Bow Riders

Zen on the Bow

  That’s the headline for this picture of relaxing on the bow, from the website Sailing Anarchy. I tried lesser variations, including a yoga mat cut to size. The best solution was simply three square cushions lashed to the deck so they won’t blow off. People enjoy sitting and relaxing on the bow because it’s […]

Sailing with Sturgeon

Sailing with Sturgeon

The Hasz family was fully aware of the need for lifejackets because the waters of the York River are still cold. Tamara and Eric Hasz were in Williamsburg from Northern Wisconsin, where they live near Lake Winnebago. “It’s 30 miles long and 10 miles wide, but only 15 feet deep,” Eric said. They took their […]

Polynesian Sailboat

Polynesian update

Here’s a Polynesian update on that rickety pontoon sailboat Hakulai that was last seen towed out of the York River in May 2016 after two weeks on tour in Yorktown. It’s called a canoe boat but it’s more like two kayaks lashed together. With crews changing every month, the boat set out from Polynesia to […]

Sail Fast

Sail Fast

Two retired couples set out on an adventure to sail fast on the water with brisk winds and clearing skies. Brian McNelis is looking to take the ASA 101 course in Norfolk, and Rick Baumler joined him in a preliminary class on the York River. Their wives were good sports to go along. Here’s what they […]

Sailing out of the Desert

Sailing out of the Desert

The Collins family left Palm Springs for an East Coast vacation that included sailing on the York River. “We did New York at the beginning of the summer and are now ending the summer by doing Washington and Williamsburg,” said Leif. “We have to get back next week because school starts for the boys in […]

Sail on the Bow

Sail on the Bow

There is perhaps no better place than to sail on the bow of a boat along the York River. It’s a great place to contemplate life in the great outdoors as you glide smoothly through the water. You become oblivious to distracting surroundings. People often comment how serene it is to sail. Nowhere is that […]

Sailing with Dolphins

  Question: What’s the best thing to see on the water? Answer: Dolphins! Nick Haller brought his family to Williamsburg from Frederick, Maryland, where he is the chef of the community hospital. While sailing in light breezes on a sunny morning, the first of 20 or dolphin started frolicking with the boat. They swam near […]

Sailing with Cars

Sailing with Cars

Question: Can a man have too many cars and boats? Answer: Not if he can identify them all off the top of his head. Stephen Coe and his wife Frankie came back for their second annual sail on the York River. They live on several acres in Trinity, North Carolina. He used to work for […]

Sailing to a Reunion

Sailing to a Reunion

Members of the Class of 1965 at a public high school in Hershey, Pennsylvania had such a good time at their 50th reunion that they extended it to Williamsburg the following year. Among them was my former colleague Ed Offley. We started out together at The Virginia Gazette, and he went on to a distinguished […]

Sailing Like Ike

Sailing Like Ike

Students in Sail Time’s basic sailing course ventured out of Willoughby Bay into the James River, past the USS Eisenhower. The aircraft carrier was back in port after eight sailors were injured in March when the arresting gear on the flight deck snapped during a routing landing of a jet fighter. I once had a […]

Soaring to Sail

Soaring to Sail

While out cruising the York River, people on my boat are intrigued by the three-masted schooner Alliance, which is another way visitors go soaring to sail. “Is that your competition?” they ask. In fact, I have 76 competitors because that’s the number of things to do in Williamsburg according to Trip Advisor. (I’m No. 30 overall and […]