# Unleashing Womens Potential in Blue Water Sailing



## benjiwoodboat (Aug 6, 2007)

Hi all --
Curious if anyone read the article by Teresa in Blue Water Sailing this month?


----------



## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

I have.


----------



## dsullyec1 (Sep 26, 2012)

Hi, I didn't read the article, but would like to. Is Blue Water Sailing a magazine? Or is it online? 

My hubby and I are buying a boat and are going to be live-aboards, and I have so many questions and need a lot more experience and information. Am trying to read all the articles and books I can on living aboard. If anyone has tips they'd like to offer on subjects such as what clothing, what foods (and where to store it!!!), and what necessities are essential, I would appreciate any and all feedback.

Diane


----------



## Mirari (Sep 13, 2006)

My subscription ran out, but from the title I'd like to suggest women looking for Blue water challenges look into doing the Bermuda 1-2 race this coming June. We generally get 1-3 women doing the race but it would be great to see more. Because it's a PHRF handicapped race there is everything from a Westsail 32 to Open 60s to the 21 foot mini transat boats competing. It's a great race down with a week of activities in Bermuda followed by a doublehanded race back. The entrance fee went up this year but it's still a fraction of what the other races to Bermuda want for an entry fee, plus you are getting two races with a few perks thrown in. Check out the web site: Bermuda One-Two


----------



## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

dsullyec1 said:


> Hi, I didn't read the article, but would like to. Is Blue Water Sailing a magazine? Or is it online?
> 
> My hubby and I are buying a boat and are going to be live-aboards, and I have so many questions and need a lot more experience and information. Am trying to read all the articles and books I can on living aboard. If anyone has tips they'd like to offer on subjects such as what clothing, what foods (and where to store it!!!), and what necessities are essential, I would appreciate any and all feedback.
> 
> Diane


Diane,

The magazine is this one:

CURRENT ISSUE | DECEMBER 2012 | BLUE WATER SAILING MAGAZINE | CRUISING, SAILING, BOAT REVIEWS, GEAR, CHARTERING | 888.800.SAIL

You can buy it on line and download a digital copy to the PC, here:

Blue Water Sailing | Dec-12 Back Issue for $6.99 | Zinio - The World's Largest Newsstand

Regards

Paulo


----------



## dsullyec1 (Sep 26, 2012)

Thanks so much, Paulo. I'll check the links you sent. Appreciate it!!


----------



## Livia (Jul 20, 2006)

Can you give us non-subscribers a sense of the article?


----------



## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Livia said:


> Can you give us non-subscribers a sense of the article?


Not me I subscribe several magazines on Zinio but not that one. PM Melrna and I am sure she will do it, if by any chance she does not see your post.

Regards

Paulo


----------



## Livia (Jul 20, 2006)

We are dirtbag cruisers - no magazines right now


----------



## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Livia said:


> We are dirtbag cruisers - no magazines right now


"Dirtbag Cruisers". I smell a great magazine right there.


----------



## PCP (Dec 1, 2004)

Livia said:


> We are dirtbag cruisers - no magazines right now


Ok, then you have to be smart

Do like this:

Open:

Blue Water Sailing | Dec-12 Back Issue for $6.99*| Zinio - The World's Largest Newsstand

Click on *inside* in the middle of the magazine, go and pass the pages *do not click on the page* (just pass the pages on the bottom). If you click on the page it will zoom and you only have a limited number of zooms (2? or 3?). Continue passing the pages till you find the article and then click on the page to zoom and you can read the article.

Possibly you have to download the Zinio reader but that is free.

As a bonus, the article writer is this nice young girl:






and here you have more nice stuff:

http://sailingsimplicity.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Gifts-of-Sailing-Solo.pdf

Sailing, Simplicity, and the Pursuit of Happiness

You are a beautiful dirtbager 

Bjs

Paulo


----------



## Melrna (Apr 6, 2004)

Back to the OP.The article if I remember right is that everyone is equal on the boat. Both partners need to able to do both duties what is classically called "Blue and Pink Duties". I won't debate the merits of the article only to say I believe we women should be able to work on the diesel engine as well as cook.


----------



## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Melrna said:


> Back to the OP.The article if I remember right is that everyone is equal on the boat. Both partners need to able to do both duties what is classically called "Blue and Pink Duties". I won't debate the merits of the article only to say I believe we women should be able to work on the diesel engine as well as cook.


Exactly! Although I haven't seen Teresa's article either, I was once asked for advice for women cruisers and realized, I don't have any advice for women ... and maybe, that IS the advice: that at sea, it's not specific to women, its just about people aboard and tasks that need doing. Life Afloat Archives: Pink Jobs and Blue Jobs The blog Raft-UP (a group of liveaboard cruising bloggers, who all agree to write about a given topic from their varied perspectives) is poised to tackle this topic in January; I'll post links when they're written.


----------



## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

benjiwoodboat said:


> Hi all --
> Curious if anyone read the article by Teresa in Blue Water Sailing this month?


i haven't read it yet (not a BWS subscriber), but I have a lot of respect for both Ben and Teresa, so I'll pick it up somewhere and see what she has to say.


----------



## Livia (Jul 20, 2006)

PCPs method works and I was able to read the article - thanks!

I really enjoyed the fact that she gives specific advice and I resonated with the idea of acknowledging that the person learning has to be given room to make mistakes and also with the idea that both partners should consider singlehanding their vessel. Singlehanding was one of the most confidence building things I did while getting ready to head offshore.


----------



## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Another thanx to PCP for the reading hack method.

In the article, she talks about the disrespect she recieved pretty regularly from dockhands and the presumption that she couldn't _possibly _know what she's doing because, after all, she's a _girl _(for example, asking her where the captain is, or asking Ben about the size of the boat when she was right there, and he'd reply, "Ask Teresa, its her boat" etc). I haven't found that to be the case, and it would be interesting to find out why my experience is different. Generational? Is it an age thing? (I'm in my late 50s, Teresa is perhaps 30 years younger) Does it differ depending on cruising area? (I'm in the southeast US and Bahamas) When I talk with bridgetenders, marinas, or commercial traffic on the VHF, they almost invariably reply with calling me "Cap" or "Captain" or "Ma'am." Generally when we're docking I'm at the helm, and Dan is forward with the lines. But once in and tying up, I haven't had any issues with dock hands looking to him and not me to pay, ask where power hookup is, or any other boat settling issues. And my friends say I'm, if anything, hypersensitive to gender issues, so I'd definitely notice!

I think her suggestions are practical for women who aren't equal partners in their relationships afloat, and need to alter the balance.


----------



## Livia (Jul 20, 2006)

While we were prepping for cruising I was in charge of gear research and installation for the last two years while my husband worked full time. I had a proportionally small but unfortunately highly memorable conversations like the author of the article referred to. Everything from them telling me outright that I didn't know what I needed (which was always possible, for anyone, but in this case they were wrong) to being asked "What did he send you in for?" when I walked in the door.

Once when I was on the phone with a store trying to get them to understand that I wanted a certain type of battery box even though it wasn't the correct box for my size of battery, my husband Carol looked at me and said "I can't believe his is talking to you like that. He would never say that to me." I mean, come on, I can use a tape measure. It's not rocket science. By the way, you may find it funny (or disturbing) to note that when my husband picked up the boxes on his way home from work the employee had put in the order for the ones he insisted I needed, not the ones I asked for. My husband looked at him and said "I'm not going home with these." HA! I love him.

It didn't bother me other than a raised eyebrow or a quick swearing session on the way to the car. I'm only bringing it up to validate her point that it does happen. And to be fair, the vast majority of time the people (men or women) working in the store were very helpful, politely correcting me when needed, and generally pleasant. In fact, they seemed excited to talk to anyone with good boat questions.


----------



## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)




----------



## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

Sorry, Livia, I wasn't intending to doubt Teresa's, or your, unfortunate experiences. Just, if we can figure out what's "different" that I'm doing, it could help us all.


----------



## Jane.Joy (Aug 17, 2011)

Hmmm - I think part of it IS an age-thing (sorry, old lady)  But even though I'm old like you, Jaye, I sometimes experience what Livia and Teresa are talking about. Here in Colombia, the customs officer told me that I was his first female capitán. But he wasn't rude - just curious.


----------



## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

LOL @ Jane! I ADORE being older! I don't have to go to work anymore, don't have to worry about what time of the month it is, and yes, I probably do get more respect. And those senior discounts! 

We were docking at a new-to-us marina in Eleuthera, me at the helm and Dan on the bow as usual, and the dockhand said something on the order of, "Wow, you're the first one I've seen who didn't crash either the dock or the bulkhead! Nicely done!" 

And I was trying to be polite while thinking a very different "wow" of my own, until she went on to say that every sailboat she's seen has trouble with the current in there, and its usually only the powerboats that dock neatly. She hadn't even processed the gender thing, for her it was all about sail v. power.


----------

