b'NEW MEMBER PROFILESailing on Chesapeake BayBy Adam Rainbolt, FOGHORN InternF rom the beginning, Nathaniel Nate Pope, CEO of PVA Member Chesapeake Windsail Cruises, set out to never be just that guy with a boat. Although he never dreamed, when he fi rst began, that people would get so much fulfillment and enjoyment going sailing, the idea of giving passengers a memorable luxury expe-rience has been integral to his company, Chesapeake Windsail Cruises, since they launched in 2018. As a seasonal operation based out of Chesapeake Beach on the southern shore of Maryland, their offerings include the popular Mother Nature cruise, sunset cruises, private cruises, and private themed cruises and are designed to give their passengers premium sailing excursions aboard a six-passenger sailing yacht named Eternal Hope that has a PVA Associate member Yanmar engine with 52 hp to aid propulsion while navigating, par-ticularly in harbors and while docking. As a sailing vessel, the Eternal Hopes main propulsion is sustainably fueled by wind power while underway.Pope and his company are very passionate about de-livering quality customer service. Pope described how he would often work as a steward on some private cruises(Left) Sunset cruise on the Chesapeake Bay. (Top Right) Hope and Nate Pope aboard to add something a little more special to the cruise. Hetheir sailing vessel. (Bottom Right) Hope christens the vessel, Eternal Hope.Photos: also recalled an instance where a customer was so happyChesapeake Windsail Cruises. with their experience that they tipped both the Captain and First Mate $100 each. This happiness is also refl ected in Chesapeake Windsail Cruises ratings. As Pope proudly shared, the average between their cruises is 4.9 out of 5. Even as a small business, Pope hopes that his services are equivalent to a multi-million dollar corporation, he said. Thats what we provide our customers.Similarly, Popes operation is devoted to professionalism. One of the primary factors that brought him to PVA, Pope explained, was that he wanted to have legitimacy. To ensure this, Pope said that he closely follows U.S. Coast Guard regulations, works with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and shares the fact that they are a PVA member and adhere to the all safety-related practices promoted by the national trade group. 38JULY 2020FOGHORN'