Ice Sailing Is Fastest
I once wrote an article for the Colonial Williamsburg Journal about the origin of ice skating. It began on the Hudson River in New York, where wealthy aristocrats took to speeding alongside trains on the coast—and beating them. Steve Brown had a similar experience growing up in Michigan. He took his wife and daughters sailing […]
Sailing under the bridge
Although it’s taken for granted by locals, the Coleman Bridge is a spectacular piece of engineering and a vital link between two regions of eastern Virginia. After the boom years of World War II, it became apparent the ferry from Yorktown to Gloucester Point would be insufficient to transit commuters and locals. The bridge was […]
Sail Army
Some men have their heart set on buying a sailboat as a life-long dream. No wonder, since sailing is a magnificent adventure that is too frequently interrupted by life. Seldom do I encounter a woman who wants a boat for her husband. That was the case with LJ and Allen Offord, who drove up from […]
Sailing Near the Navy
A couple and a family got a unique vacation adventure while listening to a narrative about the Battle of the Capes. “How big were the ships?” asked one person. I pointed behind them to a Navy warship steaming into the York River. “That big,” I pointed. The USS Gravely is an Arleigh Burke class […]
Sailing Fast in Big Wind
After a weather front passes, we get a day or two of brisk winds blowing 12-18 mph and gusting to 25 on the York River. The operating procedure is to reduce the sail space by reefing, in my case rolling the sails out only halfway. The boat can run on one sail half reefed, […]
Sail past Navy ships
Nearly every week, except during the holidays, US Navy ships ply the York River to and from Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. They arrive usually on Monday around noon and depart Thursday or Friday morning. These ships are magnificent to see coming over the eastern horizon from Norfolk Naval Base. I manage to sail out toward […]
Spinn Sail
Question: How do you sail when the wind seemingly dies? Answer: You don’t, unless you run downwind with a spinnaker. Background: Three hours of sailing on the York River usually involves tacking back and forth into the wind as we make way eastward in a zig-zag down the river. We are sailing off the wind […]
Sailing with Fascinating People
Sometimes people ask if charter sailing ever gets boring. Not when I’m sailing with fascinating people. Like you folks, I told Kent Richeson as we zoomed out the York River on a magnificent southern breeze. “You see, honey,” he turned to his wife Beth, “we’re fascinating people,” Kent joked. I wasn’t kidding. They brought their two […]
Girls’ weekend getaway
A unique idea for a girls’ weekend getaway is to go sailing. Many’s the time I’ve had pals show up spontaneously for three-hour afternoon sail. Mothers and daughters find sailing a bonding experience as well. Get out of the parking lot and on to the water. The Adventure Cruise is the most popular, offering a […]
Junior Sailor Expertise
A junior sailor from suburban Buffalo got a chance to run a giant spinnaker on warmer waters than she’s used to. Matt Meincke brought his children Madison and Zak to Williamsburg on vacation, and they set sail on the York River on a magnificently breezy afternoon with another family. Madison took the wheel with aplomb. […]
