Boating Fails and Tales
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlEdBRv7B-k “We went offshore in New Jersey looking for bait fish,” said Colleen McGowan while taking her children for a sailing lesson on the York River. Hers is the first of several bizarre boating tales this season encountered by Let’s Go Sail. “We ran into a crowd of fish so great that it felt like there […]
Sailboat Essentials
One of the most frequent questions fielded by Let’s Go Sail is, “What should I wear?” Here are the sailboat essentials for a day’s adventure on vacation. The easy answer in summer is whatever you have on for the day in the way of shorts and shirt, plus a hat and sunscreen. Temperatures out on […]
Sailing into USCG Smoke
While sailing the York River with Kevin and Jennifer Brown and their children, we spotted a rare exercise by the US Coast Guard of deploying flares and smoke simultaneously. It was very dramatic and colorful and lasted all of a minute. The exercise is rare on the York River because the very sight of the bright […]
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
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
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
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, […]
Season Opener
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 […]
Classy sailors take to the water
Sam Scovill was among the students in the 16th annual fall sailing class offered by the Williamsburg Area Learning Tree through Williamsburg Charter Sails. Students typically come to class with little experience, but not so here. “Last week I helped a guy bring his 50-foot sailboat down from Annapolis to Hampton. I hadn’t sailed in […]
Sailing past Busch Gardens
Every year Busch Gardens in Williamsburg ramps up in the fall for a massive theme of Hallow Scream. Before they went sailing on the York River, Tina Herald and Chris Lawrence were in the park the previous evening as the cast began to set up and rehearse. They regaled me with this: “All of sudden […]
Sailing from Annapolis to Florida
I picked up a hitchhiker named John who was headed to an auto parts store. “I’m looking to fashion a gasket for my fuel pump. I found a leak in the line and have pumped the manual pump to death. It’s for an Atomic Four gasoline engine in my Catalina 27 that I sailed down […]
With charity toward motorcycles
While sailing near Williamsburg, we got to talking about business and charity. Lucinda Lobach is a partner in 21 Red Robin restaurants in Pennsylvania. “I’m proud to say that since 2010 our Red Robins are proud to have donated $500,000 toward the support of research on leukemia. My brother died of leukemia.” I asked about […]
Sailing Excitement
Let’s face it: Some people have more exciting jobs than others. When you combine that with exciting sailing, it’s energizing. Brittany Luth and Amy Meadors of Richmond took a Saturday off on a “mom-cation” from their husbands and kids. We sailed in brisk winds of 12 mph, tacking down the York River all the way […]
Polynesian Sailboat
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 […]
All the Ships at Sea
Two young couples went sailing for a little adventure on their respective wedding anniversaries. They wound up encountering a lot of adventure, as they saw all the ships at sea. Craig Pancake of New Creek, West Virginia, took his wife Elissa out. Jean-Louis Lombos of Richmond took his wife Jennifer out as well, with a […]
Another Horror Story
Here’s another horror story, recalled fondly by Faith Olen of Lynchburg. We were sailing past the Coast Guard Training Center dock, which triggered her memory. “My father used to take me out on his old wooden boat along the Potomac River. It was a motorboat with two big honking diesels. We were downriver in Maryland […]
Sailing Back to the 1600s
My typical history cruise covers the battles of the Capes and Yorktown, but this one had us sailing back to the 1600s. Kate and John Jesberg drove up from Virginia Beach to take their friend Gayle Smith sailing on the York River. But instead of heading east, we motored northwest. Here’s why. “I’m descended from […]
Best Sail of July
Three parties who had never met joined in on the best sail of July on a windy day along the York River. Donna and John Troy of Charlottesville came to Williamsburg to take their daughter Kerry sailing on her 21st birthday. Donna took the wheel and instinctively got it. “I took a sailing course in […]
Family Sailing
Question: What’s the best sailing? Answer: With family. Family sailing is the best because it brings out fond memories and not-so-fond. Sara Beauchamp took her beau and her parents sailing near Williamsburg on bright, beautiful day with brisk winds. Her dad recalled their family cottage on Lake Erie, where they traveled during the summer from Buffalo. […]
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 […]