People ask, “Do you ever see the USS Cole?” While sailing the York River on a calm afternoon, the guided missile cruiser Cole transited the Coleman Bridge on the way from Norfolk to the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station.
Kathy Hiles used to live nearby on the shores of Gloucester Point and was intrigued to see the ship. Her boyfriend Tony Anderson said, “You want to keep a wide berth of Navy ships, especially that one.” Last week we saw the USS Iowa sail by. Video below recounts the terrorist attack of 2000.
Surgical Sailing
Working in an Operating Room is full of tension, excitement and success. “If you could see surgeons at work, you would be awed,” said Terry Moore of Onley, Virginia, while sailing on the York River.
“One man came in recently who was bleeding out (internally) and needed surgery immediately. The plan was to transport him to a larger hospital, but the doctor said that if they moved him he wouldn’t make it. Our surgeons went to work on him and cut him wide open to repair the bleeding. They saved him. This was open surgery, not laparoscopic since they didn’t have time for that.” Terry was sailing for the first time on a big boat, and she took to it behind the wheel with surgical precision.
My First Captain
One of the joys of charter sailing is putting an experienced hand behind the wheel. John LaBossiere just submitted his papers to the U.S. Coast Guard for his 100-ton master license. He took the course and struggled with some of the topics, but you wouldn’t know it to watch him. He adroitly spilled wind gusts of 22 mph on a busy day of 15-20 mph winds along the York River.
Not just anyone can qualify for a mariner’s license. You have to have spent 100 days a year on the water for at least three consecutive years. “I worked on freighters and oil rigs for years, and I cross the Atlantic twice. But when I went to get the days certified, the company was out of business. Fortunately, I’ve been sailing three days a week in races that helped me qualify.” He’s thinking of opening a sailboat charter when he retires as a home inspector. Talk about getting out from under.
Let’s Watch as the USS Cole Sails On
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