Burial at Sea
People ask, “Do you conduct burials at sea?” A funeral is hardly a fun thing to do on vacation, but it can be exciting. The Novy siblings gathered from all over the country to make the most of a melancholy situation as they buried their brother at sea. “This is the second service in […]
Sailing in Alaska
Dave Mrowiec never surrendered the helm when he took his wife and another couple sailing along the York River in strong winds. I’ve never seen anyone happier behind the wheel. “My father sent to me Alaska when I was 19 to work on a fishing trawler. It was 52 feet and we’d fish for salmon. […]
Sailing with Zeus
On an otherwise calm day with fluctuating winds, two couples from the Midwest got to watch as the USNS Zeus came into the York River on the way to its home port at Cheatham Annex. They saw the Coleman Bridge swing both spans open to let the big ship transit. The Zeus looked beaten up […]
Sailing with Autism
I do around a dozen “charity auction sails” a year, where I donate the trip for good causes, after expenses. While cruising along the York River in brisk winds with their friends Tara and Dave Farrell, Dave Mrowiec took the helm while his wife Sydney explained the work of the Peninsula School for Autism, one of […]
Celebrity Sailing
An experienced actor was among two couples from North Carolina who went sailing near Williamsburg on a blustery afternoon. Annette and Paul White travel together at least once a year with Lynda and Mike White. While enduring stiff winds that heeled the boat, Lynda mentioned that Mike White took up acting as an adult and […]
First Communion Sail
People ask, “Do you sail on special occasions?” His grandparents brought Gianni LaLota and his older brother Sal from the Fredicksburg area to go sailing after he made his First Communion that morning with his Catholic school class. The boys took the wheel with their grandfather Jim Moore in control. They managed fluky winds and […]
Sailing to Modernity
I get asked, “What’s with all these bridges?” Two things we take for granted in Tidewater Virginia are weather and bridges. I was explaining to two couples from Norfolk that I get people from all over the country for whom the weather is not a big news story but a big tragedy. You name it: […]
Norfolk Boat Memories
While taking their gals sailing near Williamsburg, two fellows recalled their Norfolk boat memories, having grown up together during the 1950s. Dale Murray said, “I’ve been around the water all my life, but I’ve never been sailing.” He did just fine on the helm. On the water indeed. “I have a center console 22-foot fishing boat […]
Racing the Wind
A longtime competitive sailor from Newport News joined his wife on Day 3 of the WALT sailing class. It had been a while since Grayson Williams had taken the wheel, racing the wind. “It feels great,” he said while heeling the boat to 20 degrees while tacking up the York River. “My most memorable race […]
Sailing Past C-Span
When people go sailing on the York River, they seek a unique and fun adventure that’s also educational. Sometimes they’re surprised to see “C-Span” in the form of the Coleman Bridge swinging open to let US Navy ships pass. Every ten days or so, and sometimes as frequently as twice a day, cruisers and […]
Navy Ship Transits
When she arrived from New Hampshire on vacation to take her mother and daughter sailing on the York River, the last thing Evelyn Hooper expected to see on a breezy afternoon was a US Navy warship. Up came the USS Nitze, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. All three ladies got to watch as the Coleman Bridge […]
Sailing to Scholarships
Kyle Voors and Sarah Bevier drove up from Chesapeake to go sailing on the York in a brisk spring breeze. Kyle is in the Navy, and Sarah writes grants for the Access College Foundation of Norfolk. “We help minority students learn more about going to college by reaching out to them and their parents as […]
Sailing for Blood
Remember when giving blood was important because it was in short supply? Not any more, or at least not so much. Kenny and Anna Marie Lamberth of Clever, Missouri talked about the world of blood while sailing on a warm afternoon near Williamsburg with their friends Joy and James Mathias. The men switched operating the […]
Sailing into Retirement
They say you should phase in retirement and not do it cold turkey. John LaBossiere and his wife Trish have figured it out. They returned from a sail last spring on the York River to convey the new details of his retirement plan. He is finishing up work on his US Coast Guard captain’s license […]
Ninth Anniversary Sail
Having never been to Williamsburg before, Brian and Meg Scoggins of Chattanooga set out on a ninth anniversary sail by venturing out on the historic York River in brisk winds rising to 15 mph. Brian had never sailed before, but he had gained some visual experience playing Empire Total War. That’s a popular video game that assigns […]
Testing Oneself Under Sail
You never know what your limits are for personal endurance, and sailing under extreme conditions is one test. So is joining the US Marine Corps. Kyle Turrentine of Roanoke went sailing on the York River on a crisp and sunny spring day with his fiancé Pauline Ferguson. He was content to sit quietly, having […]
Teachers Sail
Two school teachers from Sunfield, Michigan went on their first extensive sailboat trip by venturing out into the York River on a warm and windy spring afternoon. Because the winds were coming from the south, we were able to cut through the waves and reach the “lee shore,” next to the Yorktown Battlefield, where the […]
Mother & Daughter Sail
Lidia Berger of Alexandria, Virginia, took time out from her engineering/architecture job to take her mother and daughter sailing on the York River near Williamsburg. She is pictured sitting with Nicole on the bow of the sailboat, with the Coleman Bridge in the background. As an engineer, Lidia was intrigued that the span swing sideways […]
Old Friends Sailing
Claire Fortier took her partner Maria Pialeat and one of their grown children and his girlfriend sailing on a brisk afternoon along the York River. Claire was an editor colleague of mine at The Virginia Gazette who wound up in California editing the South Lake Tahoe Tribune, where she also was elected to […]
Sailing into Surgery
“Did you know that a DNR doesn’t apply if you go into surgery?” That provocative notion was told by Joel Dixon, who with his wife Hamet works as an Operating Room nurse at the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville. They were in Williamsburg for an afternoon sail on the York River with their daughter […]