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 […]
Man Overboard!
People often ask, “Is it hard to rescue someone who falls off a boat?” Yes, because it requires extensive training. The second scariest moment on a boat is to hear the dreaded words, “Man Overboard!” Fortunately, trained sailors can execute maneuvers to turn the boat and go back for the rescue. It can take as […]
Captain’s Choice
People often ask: “Is it hard learning how to sail?” No, not at all. Two couples from Richmond and Lynchburg had never met until they went out on the York River to learn how to sail. What they got was a primer on the water and a rare view of a passing Navy submarine. En […]
Return to Williamsburg
People often ask, “Why is Williamsburg so popular?” I like to say that so many people have moved or retired to Williamsburg from up North that it has eviscerated the southern accent. In a new twist, Claudia and Scott McDougal returned here. “We left 40 years ago,” Scott said. “We’ve been living in Denver,” Claudia […]
Distinct Navy Ships
People often ask, “How can you tell Navy ships apart?” Two Navy warships blew into Yorktown Naval Weapons Station this week with distinct profiles and missions. The USS James E. Williams is a classic destroyer of the Arleigh Burke Class. Launched in 2003, the Williams is usually part of a carrier strike force in the […]
Army Ship Maneuvering
People occasionally ask, “Does the Army have a navy?” Yes indeed. USAV Missionary Ridge has been maneuvering for several days in the York River near Cheatham Annex. The ship has radioed that it is conducting dive exercises and has asked boaters to stay 500 yards clear. At 174 feet long, it’s one of 35 Army […]
Ice Sailing Has Storied Past
People sometimes ask, “Is there a faster way to sail?” Oh yes, on ice! Before global warming, people used to sail on ice. It’s long forgotten, but our kin from the 1800s convey that ice sailing has a storied past. Americans live for speed and always have. Beginning with horse racing in 17th century New […]
Name that Boat
People are always asking, “What are the best and worst boat names?” Most boat names like these at right reflect bad puns, good women or bad situations. While traveling through North Carolina and South Carolina, I found a curious set of names at a marina in Wilmington. The US Coast Guard has strict naming rules […]
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
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
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
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
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 […]
Stay Fit by Sailing
Sailing can make you physically fit and keep you that way. If you work out at the gym, work on the boat becomes that much easier. Sailing is quite an adventure for one’s muscles, without that much effort. The very activity of getting on and off a boat takes some exertion, especially at extreme low […]
November Sail
A couple from Venezuela celebrated her 50th birthday by taking their children on a November sail on a brisk fallr day. Vanessa Martinez and Tony Torrealba moved here 20 years ago and live in Northern Virginia. Vanessa wanted to learn how to sail, and she did great on all three reaches. They got delayed crossing […]
Turncoat
Benedict Arnold has fascinated Americans for two centuries. One of the Continental Army’s most accomplished generals defected to the British Army for money and revenge. He oversaw military operations in Virginia during 1781 and turned over command to Lord Cornwallis when Cornwallis reached Yorktown. Arnold departed the scene to avoid any proximity to Gen. George […]
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 […]
Mega-Yachts at Sea
Can super-yachts handle very rough seas? By Ron Larson, Encinitas CA I’ve never been on a super yacht in rough seas. However, I would say no. I would not want to risk my life on one in a major storm. I suspect that they would be fine, to a tipping point, then all hell would […]
Learn to Sail
You can learn to sail fast, and quickly at that. Here are five ways, graduating from easy to intermediate. Adventure Cruise Couples and families who book an Adventure Cruise with Let’s Go Sail get a chance to run the helm over a comfortable course spanning three hours. In so doing, they get sufficient tips and pointers […]
Zen on the Bow
“The great thing about [horse] racing is she can get deeply immersed for two or three hours at a stretch. And it is completely different from her everyday work—a switch-out from what is going on in the world that is worrying or unhappy,” said Michael Osmond. “One of her private secretaries told me it has […]
