People ask, “Do you get odd stories of how people met?” “We like to tell people that we met in jail,” laughed Ashley Bolden as she and her husband Michael sailed the York River on a spectacular afternoon. They were working at the Peninsula Regional Jail on Route 143, and she has since become an LPN at Eastern State Hospital where she works in Admissions.
It’s difficult because often the patients are admitted against their will. She’s been spat on, and a colleague suffered a broken arm. So, is it a better job? “Jail was easier because at least the inmates were behind bars.” Eastern State is an open-ward hospital, and there are precious few male attendants to help keep order. Jerry Morrison, a retired executive along for the sail, listened raptly. “As a banker I once got exposed to your line of work by voluntarily living in a halfway house to experience what people go through. I couldn’t figure out how they got halfway in the first place.”
Grounded Out Back
People who love boats imagine having one in their back yard, but not quite like this. Last spring, Lola and Stuart Gordon found this 756-foot freighter run aground outside their third-story condo in Virginia Beach.
“We had a nor’easter with winds up to 70 miles an hour that blew the ship onto the beach,” Lola related while sailing calmly on the York River. “It took three days for tugboats to dislodge it.” That’s not the most exciting thing about Virginia Beach. Check out the video below that shows lightning and a waterspout.
Deadrise Dead in the Water
While sailing the York River late in the day with two couples from Williamsburg and Toronto, a commercial waterman hailed us for help. He had suffered a broken fuel line and was looking for a tow into the nearby Perrin River. My boat was too small to pull his deadrise, so we offered to call Tow Boat US in Poquoson.
He declined, perhaps because of the expense. So we used marine radio to reach Crown Point Marina on the Perrin. A third party from the marina got on the radio and offered assistance with his 25-foot motorboat, “Jarrett.” The family onboard the deadrise was grateful for the quick response. “God bless you,” a woman shouted from across the water. The event was a reminder that mariners depend on each other for help, since the Coast Guard can’t be everywhere.
Let’s See How They Met in Jail
Scroll down Rates and pick a day for a sailboat charter. Scroll down Reviews on Trip Advisor. Go back to the Home Page of Williamsburg Charter Sails.
they met in jail they met in jail they met in jail
