# Home port



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I just wanted to say hello and see where everyone is. I often feel very outnumbered in a male dominated pasttime. I would really like to hear from other women who love to sail.
Kelly
Venture 2-24 Texas


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

hi windrunner..i am new to sailing but just wanted to check in with you to talk to an experienced woman sailor! I am 43 with two little boys and am buying a boat this spring for all of us to learn on. I understand about being in a male dominated sport, i taught scuba diving for many years on the east coast and florida keys..I have family in west texas..And i also understand being landlocked here in iowa..but fortunately is a 19,000 square foot lake about an hour from here. So take care and hope to hear from you soon! Erika1


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

anytips for seasickness..love the water and sailing but am very sensitive to motion and get quesy easily..forget ginger ale and ginger..dont work..know anything about the patches?? Thanks! Erika


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Erika, Hi,

Try boat bands. They are little wrist bans with a small plastic bead that fit snugly on your wrists. Using a theory similar to acupressure, the beads "hit the spot" that helps alleviate motion sickness. Also, NEVER eat anything with tomatoes in it the night before you go sailing. There''s something in the acid that triggers the motion sickness reaction like no other acidic food I know. 

Happy sailing, and welcome to the sport/lifestyle!
Laura Spanton


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## Wildheart001 (Mar 23, 2000)

Erika: I too get seasick sometimes, and have tried lots of remedies. Now I never go near a boat without Bonine. One tablet is all I need and I can stay out all day. You take it about an hour before you get on the boat. It''s an over-the-counter medication, you can get it at any drugstore. I''ve never tried the armbands, but I have a friend who swears by them. 

Interesting to hear you were a scuba instructor. I''m a divemaster right now, trying to decide whether to "bite the bullet" and get my instructor certification. It''s either that or starting up a pet-sitting service. I need a part-time job right now to beef up the kitty. 

I really do want to live aboard someday. Considering I got a $300 utility bill yesterday (up from $100 the month before), it sounds better and better every day. 

Wish we all lived close enough to get together for coffee!

Wildheart001


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

hi wildheart..boy i sure could use a coffee clutch right now! That would be great..Bite the bullet! I felt such a great sense of accomplishment getting my teaching certificate and you will always feel great about it even if you never use it. You already know it all,,its just taking it to a higher degree of understanding. So it shouldnt be too hard for you. my instructor was an exnavy seal so the physical requirements were intense..that was 20 years ago. I dont know what it is like now however.

So with regards to the Bonine, do you find yourself drowsey at all. I will be sailing with children and cant afford to be sleepy..I did some research on the net and found many people swear by ginger and those wrist bands..i think i will try a combo of those two first before the bonine.

Ah yes...power bills..living aboard does sound much simpler and cheaper for sure. 

Did you say you are from Georgia? I have a cousin in atlanta who loves to scuba and is single..are you?

Ok..thanks for the tip and am counting the days until april..thank God for the chicago boat show this weekend to take the edge off of winter! Ah...will have to take the drool bucket! Happy Sailing, Erika

Hi Laura..check your personal page for a response to your message..


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## Wildheart001 (Mar 23, 2000)

Erika: Yes, the physical requirements are still tough, at least for divemaster they were (in my humble opinion). I was so proud of myself for passing the divemaster certification. I was one of the oldest ones in the class (I''m about to be 42!). I''ve heard the instructor certification is not as difficult physically, so if I decide to do it I hope to pass with no problem.

Lucky you having the boat show to attend this weekend! Was it wonderful? What did you see that you liked? Did you go to any of the seminars? I''d love to go to the one in Miami next month, but don''t know if I''ll make it or not.

Bonine does NOT make you sleepy, but hopefully the other alternatives will work well for you. 

I am single, after 18 years of marriage. Stuff happens, I guess. I assume from your posts that you are single as well. Lately I''ve really begun to appreciate the strength of the women I know. Hearing about your plans to sail with your two children aboard puts you in that category as well. Maybe we could chat on personal email sometime instead of a public forum. My email address is in the header, if you want to correspond in that manner.

Take care!

Wildheart


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hi Wildheart. Just found this part of the site and am very impressed with the strings here. I am a single (after 18 years of marriage) liveaboard on the Chesapeake Bay. I sold my house, my stuff, got a kitten and bought a Taswell 43. I absolutely love the lifestyle. Winters in the North are pretty awful though. Shoveling snow off my deck is not my idea of fun but it will be spring soon and I will forget the dark days. I''m learning everyday and would enjoy sharing stories, tips whatever. My intent is to cruise the Caribbean and Bahamas full time. If the stock market would just comply! Drop me a line if you can.


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## Wildheart001 (Mar 23, 2000)

Hi StrfromtheHeart, good to hear from you. Sounds like we have alot in common.

So what is it like living on the boat? I know the winter must be tough, but I''m sure there are good parts to it as well. I''m the adventurous type, so it sounds great to me. I''d love to hear about your experiences so far.

I''m to the point in my life where I want to "do" things rather than "have" things (i.e., the big house full of stuff). Hopefully once spring rolls around I''ll find a buyer for the house. Keep your fingers crossed for me. 

Sounds like you bought a nice boat. Do you have lots of sailing experience? 

What is your kitten''s name, and how has he/she adapted to the boat?

I work in downtown Atlanta, if there was a lake close enough for me to commute, I''d be living aboard, too.

Maybe we''ll see each other sailing around the Caribbean and the Bahamas. That''s my intent as well (and yes, it would be nice if the stock market would rebound!).

Take care, and you can reply to me via my personal email if you like (the address is listed above).

Wildheart


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## Captronbob (Jan 11, 2001)

My wife had the same problem. She tried all the arm bands, etc. with no relief. What she does now is take a Dramamine tablet before bed and then a half tablet in the morning on the way to the marina. The first tablet has eight to ten hours to get into her system and the second half tablet gives the first a little kick in the butt. She has eliminated her seasickness with this method. Hope it works for you. Let us know. Ron


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Anne,

I''ve lived aboard and cruised for close to 20 years, if there are any questions you have I''d be glad to try to answer them or point you in the right direction.

Best Regards,
Kathy
MS Sojourner


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## Weissdorn (Mar 7, 2001)

Hi Erikal!

I get chronically seasick myself. This has nothing to do with being scared or inexperienced. I was operated on my ears as a child, and that makes a little more sensitive to motion sickness. This is why I read anything I can get my hands about seasickness, because I dread the first 3 days out.

Theoretically, all persons taller than 4-6 feet can get seasick. You know, it has to do with the inner balance in the brain, and the taller a person is, usually the worse it is. I''m 5-11. 

Unfortunately, there seems to be no patent cure for seasickness. Some people swear Gingerale is the cure-all; others take Dramine, some drink beer; still others wear these silly elastic bands, that always get in the way. I shouldn''t critize them though, because it works for some people. 

However, my personal cure is drinking one of those magnesium tablets that desolves itself in water in the morning for breakfast. Scientists have found out that the brain requires more magnesium and calcium to deal with the "altered" motion in your environment. This may be true. Anyway, it does help me. Try either calcium or magnesium, but don''t take them simultaneously, because they cancel each other out. 

I don''t like Dramine or Bonnie, because they make you tired. That''s not to good if you''re at the helm.

Yours,

Weissdorn 

P.S. Never let anyone try to tell you that seasickness is purely pyschological. They don''t have a clue!


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## Sailor_Grl15 (Mar 12, 2001)

I would like to say hi to everyone. I''m 15 and am seriously outnumbered when it comes to sailing. I have never met another teenage girl who sails. I know many teenage boys, but... it''s just not the same. I''ve been on sailboats since I was just 3 weeks old. I''m interested in finding other teenage girl sailors who are experienced to talk to. I personally own a Dolphin Sr. 1982 and as a family a Helms 24 1981. I''ve recently become a die hard racer (or as much as I can be on a small lake in the middle of the country).


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## svsheela (Aug 2, 2001)

Hey Windrunner, I don''t often feel outnumbered, I ALWAYS feel outnumbered. I''ve been singlehanding cruising for 3 yrs. And in all these yrs. I''ve never come across another single handed female sailor. I must admit I get a lot of attention (and I''m no spring chicken), but it sure would be nice to sometimes sit and talk seriously about sailing. I''m taking a little land R&R visiting my family, plus hauling out etc. If you would like to chat sometime, that would be nice. I''m new at this computor stuff, don''t know if the message will automatically give you my address, if not here it [email protected] Take Care, Sheela


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## wahine_toa (Mar 20, 2003)

hi there! I am Cheryl and I am definitely sharing the same feelings as some of you in here! I am looking for a change in my life. Seeing things, doing things, introducing my son to adventure and life! I feel so lonely in this materialistic world and need to connect to people more like myself. I do not yet know how to sail and have no money to buy a boat to sail but I will work hard to make both happen so that my dreams will come to fruition.


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## rakuqueen1 (Dec 4, 2002)

New to the board. We sold our home last July, bought a sail boat in January, and plan to move on it in the fall. My husband will retire and we plan to take off. We have a 15 year old daughter who will go w/ us and be home schooled. That is one of my many projects to find info about. We have been talking about doing this about 5 years after we got married. We have another daughter who is in college and really wants to go w/ us but really wants to finish up. That will be her call. We are also in Texas, Gulf Coast.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

BUY A USED SUNFISH AND GO SAILING! RR_/)


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