Walk down the dock of a busy marina or yacht club and observe who owns and captains the boats. Chances are they will be men. Have you ever noticed how few women actually own or captain a sailboat? Yet lots of women have set sailing records or are making major contributions to the sport. Tania Aebi, Isabelle Autissier, Lin Pardey, Doris Colgate, Beth Leonard, and many others come to mind. Ellen MacArthur, for example, sailed into the record books recently by becoming the youngest person, and fastest woman, to sail around the world alone. Could you single hand a 75-ft boat around the world in 71 days? Yet it seems that few women own or captain boats. Why is that? No interest? Is sailing really considered a man's sport? With modern gear and training, size and strength would no longer seem to be important issues. The Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship on the Chesapeake Bay, for example, provided an excellent opportunity not only to witness the power of women sailors but to admire their skills in extreme weather conditions that would test the strength of any sailing man. Who captains your boat? Tell us how you think about women in sailing then take the Quick Quiz on the homepage. (Discussion topic and quiz by Warren Milberg)
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A Stepford Admiral!
When my wife agreed to take sailing lessons - my best sailing buddy accused me of having traded in on a Stepford Admiral! *yks ! All kidding aside - I am glad my wife is taking sailing lessons - I hope it takes and she does more. Still - for now - simply having more experience - I skipper. I'll be happy the day I can go to sleep while she runs the boat. The more sailing she does, that will mean the more I can do, & I'll be happy to go with that.
Sailing is better if you don't have to leave your love behind - so anything I can encourage her to take on with a boat, I will. OC
When my wife agreed to take sailing lessons - my best sailing buddy accused me of having traded in on a Stepford Admiral! *yks ! All kidding aside - I am glad my wife is taking sailing lessons - I hope it takes and she does more. Still - for now - simply having more experience - I skipper. I'll be happy the day I can go to sleep while she runs the boat. The more sailing she does, that will mean the more I can do, & I'll be happy to go with that.
Sailing is better if you don't have to leave your love behind - so anything I can encourage her to take on with a boat, I will. OCThere are more of us than you think
I am the captain and my husband my firstmate. I adore sailing and always have since a little girl sailing the pacific through Humboldt Bay, Northern, California. I only have an O'Day 19 stuck in the midwest landlocked, but at least there are 10,000 lakes and an abundance of wind. Many female sailors I keep seeing everyday. Sail on everyone!
I am the captain and my husband my firstmate. I adore sailing and always have since a little girl sailing the pacific through Humboldt Bay, Northern, California. I only have an O'Day 19 stuck in the midwest landlocked, but at least there are 10,000 lakes and an abundance of wind. Many female sailors I keep seeing everyday. Sail on everyone!
Funny
how guys even respond for the women! I have a H23 and I'm in the process of buying a Oday 30. While I don't have allot of experiance yet. I've had lots of support and encouragement from all the guys in my boat club. Denise
how guys even respond for the women! I have a H23 and I'm in the process of buying a Oday 30. While I don't have allot of experiance yet. I've had lots of support and encouragement from all the guys in my boat club. Denise
They're Out There
I'd been admiring a well kept, salty old Bristol 26 berthed at my marina for months. Couple weekends ago, it was out when I arrived. She showed up again as I was casting off - captained very nicely by a 40-something year old woman and with two more aboard for good measure! Shame on me for imagining some old man with a grey beard and a corn cob pipe sailing that thing!
I'd been admiring a well kept, salty old Bristol 26 berthed at my marina for months. Couple weekends ago, it was out when I arrived. She showed up again as I was casting off - captained very nicely by a 40-something year old woman and with two more aboard for good measure! Shame on me for imagining some old man with a grey beard and a corn cob pipe sailing that thing!
Female Captain's
I'm a female Captain located in Heber Springs Ark..Greer's Ferry Lake. I have a lot of men that enjoy crewing on my boat. They are requesting that I teach or train their spouses. They can't believe that I crew my on sailboat. I'm 51, I've been sailing for 17 years. Ex-husband got the hunter 30 so I went out and purchased a 28.5 Hunter. Most women do a lot of work while the men are behind the helm, so the women get a lot of experience. Now, I can get behind the helm and call the shots. It feels good. Also I won two races. Had about 40 guys stand up and clap for me... There are two female Captain's located at my Marina....and I'm one of them.... Also chartered a 35' sailboat last year in the BVI for my birthday present. I did have another person on board... Katie 28.5 Hunter La R
I'm a female Captain located in Heber Springs Ark..Greer's Ferry Lake. I have a lot of men that enjoy crewing on my boat. They are requesting that I teach or train their spouses. They can't believe that I crew my on sailboat. I'm 51, I've been sailing for 17 years. Ex-husband got the hunter 30 so I went out and purchased a 28.5 Hunter. Most women do a lot of work while the men are behind the helm, so the women get a lot of experience. Now, I can get behind the helm and call the shots. It feels good. Also I won two races. Had about 40 guys stand up and clap for me... There are two female Captain's located at my Marina....and I'm one of them.... Also chartered a 35' sailboat last year in the BVI for my birthday present. I did have another person on board... Katie 28.5 Hunter La R
Other reasons
I think there is another reason, or two, why there aren't more women captains. First, women are not encouraged to develop mechanical appitude, and there is ALOT of maintenance and repair to be done on most boats. I do ALOT of work on my 1978 Cal 34. Secondly, when I surf the bulletin boards and offer comments and replies to men's questions about repairs and maintenance - on projects I've actually undertaken successfully, like replacing part of the cabin ceiling plywood and glass - my comments are generally ignored. I suspect men "think" they welcome women as captains, until one of them displays similar competence in areas typically viewed as male domain. Also, research shows women still earn less money than men, so it follows that women have less discretionary income.
I think there is another reason, or two, why there aren't more women captains. First, women are not encouraged to develop mechanical appitude, and there is ALOT of maintenance and repair to be done on most boats. I do ALOT of work on my 1978 Cal 34. Secondly, when I surf the bulletin boards and offer comments and replies to men's questions about repairs and maintenance - on projects I've actually undertaken successfully, like replacing part of the cabin ceiling plywood and glass - my comments are generally ignored. I suspect men "think" they welcome women as captains, until one of them displays similar competence in areas typically viewed as male domain. Also, research shows women still earn less money than men, so it follows that women have less discretionary income.
Anybody willing to give me a 75'
So I can try Most women I know who go out come back scared. In Kemah, I've seen one all female crew in 60 days on the water (not including races), the rest are all man skippered that I've seen. There is an old small boat in our marina that a lady owns and parked in early spring. She said that she's been a sailor for 30 years but I've yet to see her take it out. I'm thinking she just bought it to be able to hang out with guys. There is another older lady who lives on a sailboat but I've never seen her take it out either. Now there is a couple who lives on my dock and the wife is a die-hard racer and she won while being the skipper a few weeks ago. They are out there, but the percentage is very low. My guess is maybe 1% or less.
So I can try
Most women I know who go out come back scared. In Kemah, I've seen one all female crew in 60 days on the water (not including races), the rest are all man skippered that I've seen. There is an old small boat in our marina that a lady owns and parked in early spring. She said that she's been a sailor for 30 years but I've yet to see her take it out. I'm thinking she just bought it to be able to hang out with guys. There is another older lady who lives on a sailboat but I've never seen her take it out either. Now there is a couple who lives on my dock and the wife is a die-hard racer and she won while being the skipper a few weeks ago. They are out there, but the percentage is very low. My guess is maybe 1% or less.Why should they?
We take them along and do almost all the work. The rank of Admiral fits them to a T. With some exceptions they hardly do any work. Some may be put to anchor duty by their soulmate "Attila" but tehy look more as owners than crew. Knew a guy in the years before "women's lib" that had trained his non-swimming girlfriend to clean the bottom of his boat; he would fit her with a weight belt and a mask and tie a line around her waist and easy her overboard. He would pull her up for air every couple of minutes. I believe it is like motorcycles; women used to ride in the back and now more and more are taking up riding their own as the equipment is more user friendly to them. Them burly ones will carry the torch.
We take them along and do almost all the work. The rank of Admiral fits them to a T. With some exceptions they hardly do any work. Some may be put to anchor duty by their soulmate "Attila" but tehy look more as owners than crew. Knew a guy in the years before "women's lib" that had trained his non-swimming girlfriend to clean the bottom of his boat; he would fit her with a weight belt and a mask and tie a line around her waist and easy her overboard. He would pull her up for air every couple of minutes. I believe it is like motorcycles; women used to ride in the back and now more and more are taking up riding their own as the equipment is more user friendly to them. Them burly ones will carry the torch.
In all my years of sailing...
...I've only met one other person who was not afraid of a sailboat. In a bay full of motorboats, our's is the only sailboat. Everyone here (men and women alike) believes (for some inexplicable reason) that the towering weight of masts and sails will cause the boat to fall over - even though they've all watched in wonder, for years, as I built and sailed boats without capsizing any of them. My recently acquired O'Day 17'6" day sailer, and my wife (we're newly-weds) have opened another new chapter in our local maritime history. My wife (who'd never been on a boat before in her life) loves sailing and is eager to learn all she can about boats and sail. So, when she's at the helm, she's the captain - I don't influence her decisions in any way (unless she asks, of course, which is rare). I taught myself to sail by trial and error, and I believe a person can learn much easier if there's not someone barking at them. Anyway, I think self-confidence on the sailor's part, and a willingness to share on the teacher's part has more to do with who's a captain and who's not(imho, this gender mess is mere propaganda).
...I've only met one other person who was not afraid of a sailboat. In a bay full of motorboats, our's is the only sailboat. Everyone here (men and women alike) believes (for some inexplicable reason) that the towering weight of masts and sails will cause the boat to fall over - even though they've all watched in wonder, for years, as I built and sailed boats without capsizing any of them. My recently acquired O'Day 17'6" day sailer, and my wife (we're newly-weds) have opened another new chapter in our local maritime history. My wife (who'd never been on a boat before in her life) loves sailing and is eager to learn all she can about boats and sail. So, when she's at the helm, she's the captain - I don't influence her decisions in any way (unless she asks, of course, which is rare). I taught myself to sail by trial and error, and I believe a person can learn much easier if there's not someone barking at them. Anyway, I think self-confidence on the sailor's part, and a willingness to share on the teacher's part has more to do with who's a captain and who's not(imho, this gender mess is mere propaganda).
spouses not welcome
I belong to a yacht club in Boston, Ma. and we have about 300 members. Perhaps 5 are women. We allow women to become members if they wish.I believe 35 yrs ago only males could become members.Our rules state that only the paying member can use his/her boat at our club. This sends a message that only the paying member-usually a male may use the family boat.This rule is seldom enforced, but everyone knows about it.I feel this makes females- spouses at our club feel not as important or as comfortable at our club as the male member. Another answer to your question as to why don't more women become involved in yachting -as young children dad usually always goes down to the club with mom staying home. Why not welcome mom at the club as an equal to dad?? Perhaps then mom would go there more often and the young girls would have a better role model. A good suggestion to change the ratio of male members would be to allow family memberships where the spouse has the same rights and responsibilities as the male member with little or no additional cost. I feel yacht clubs would be more female-family friendly instead of male bastions.There are very few yacht clubs in the Boston area that offer family memberships. The yachting industry itself has done a poor job of advertising to females. When we think of our population being 50-50 male female they seem to ignore that part of the market in its advertising.Just think of the boom we would have in boating if girls and women were interested in boating as much as men are. Perhaps this goes back to the time when we had to have lots of muscle to keep up wooden boats and move them around the yards. Time has changed all that and its time for us men to welcome women into boating.
I belong to a yacht club in Boston, Ma. and we have about 300 members. Perhaps 5 are women. We allow women to become members if they wish.I believe 35 yrs ago only males could become members.Our rules state that only the paying member can use his/her boat at our club. This sends a message that only the paying member-usually a male may use the family boat.This rule is seldom enforced, but everyone knows about it.I feel this makes females- spouses at our club feel not as important or as comfortable at our club as the male member. Another answer to your question as to why don't more women become involved in yachting -as young children dad usually always goes down to the club with mom staying home. Why not welcome mom at the club as an equal to dad?? Perhaps then mom would go there more often and the young girls would have a better role model. A good suggestion to change the ratio of male members would be to allow family memberships where the spouse has the same rights and responsibilities as the male member with little or no additional cost. I feel yacht clubs would be more female-family friendly instead of male bastions.There are very few yacht clubs in the Boston area that offer family memberships. The yachting industry itself has done a poor job of advertising to females. When we think of our population being 50-50 male female they seem to ignore that part of the market in its advertising.Just think of the boom we would have in boating if girls and women were interested in boating as much as men are. Perhaps this goes back to the time when we had to have lots of muscle to keep up wooden boats and move them around the yards. Time has changed all that and its time for us men to welcome women into boating.
Physical Body Strength
I think one of the contributing factors to why there are few (or fewer) female captains is not technical knowledge but many feel they do not have the physical strength to be able to deal if or when a crisis occurs --its a fact that women have less upper body strength than men (generally) --they know this and are afraid that they would not have the necessary strength to deal with an emergency--thus they are reluctant to assume sole or primary responsibility for a ship and its crew -- I don't agree with that view as with much forethought most problems can be anticipated or a plan worked out ahead of time on how to deal with it ---BUT the girls are always worried about the 'what if' factor --for men they can in a jam always try to muscle through a problem --not an option for the ladies--thus less confidence, fewer female captains.
I think one of the contributing factors to why there are few (or fewer) female captains is not technical knowledge but many feel they do not have the physical strength to be able to deal if or when a crisis occurs --its a fact that women have less upper body strength than men (generally) --they know this and are afraid that they would not have the necessary strength to deal with an emergency--thus they are reluctant to assume sole or primary responsibility for a ship and its crew -- I don't agree with that view as with much forethought most problems can be anticipated or a plan worked out ahead of time on how to deal with it ---BUT the girls are always worried about the 'what if' factor --for men they can in a jam always try to muscle through a problem --not an option for the ladies--thus less confidence, fewer female captains.
woman sailing
hello,i dont know why so few females sail, but it is the same with flying. i know about 150 pilots and am acquainted with about 200 more, and only about 30 of them are female. it's a real shame more woman don't fly, flying is just fantistic. john
hello,i dont know why so few females sail, but it is the same with flying. i know about 150 pilots and am acquainted with about 200 more, and only about 30 of them are female. it's a real shame more woman don't fly, flying is just fantistic. john
funny
I just started emailing a girl today who used to sail with her family when she was a teen. She says that it seemed like a lot of work so she just layed out and let her brothers do all the work. There you go...straight from the horses mouth Too much work.
I just started emailing a girl today who used to sail with her family when she was a teen. She says that it seemed like a lot of work so she just layed out and let her brothers do all the work. There you go...straight from the horses mouth
Too much work.I am a woman captain!
Hello- I am a woman captain and just purchased a bigger boat. We have been sailing on a 30' Lancer in the Sea of Cortez. The other people who sail on our boat are 2 children ages 7 and 10 and another female friend. We have been out on cruises up to 2 weeks around different parts of Mexico-Midriff Islands, Conception Bay and Loreto. We just purchased a bigger boat - 36 feet. Hopefully, this will allow us to go out longer and with more comfort. It isn't a big deal to be a female captain. You just need to be mentally strong and love adventure! I'm hoping to do it long term in the next few years. Hope to see more female cruisers and captains out there on the water!
Hello- I am a woman captain and just purchased a bigger boat. We have been sailing on a 30' Lancer in the Sea of Cortez. The other people who sail on our boat are 2 children ages 7 and 10 and another female friend. We have been out on cruises up to 2 weeks around different parts of Mexico-Midriff Islands, Conception Bay and Loreto. We just purchased a bigger boat - 36 feet. Hopefully, this will allow us to go out longer and with more comfort. It isn't a big deal to be a female captain. You just need to be mentally strong and love adventure! I'm hoping to do it long term in the next few years. Hope to see more female cruisers and captains out there on the water!
My Joan takes Java out by herself
Which blows most the sailors on the dock. Do you need any help? Can I get those lines for you? Do you want me to go with you? on and on it goes. I was on a trip to Florida last weekend and Joan took the boat out all by herself. Anchored spent the night out and came back in with no help. She had a ball. She is I believe the only one at our marina of 40 sailboats that will do that. Got to love a mate who will take charge. Jim S/V Java
Which blows most the sailors on the dock. Do you need any help? Can I get those lines for you? Do you want me to go with you? on and on it goes. I was on a trip to Florida last weekend and Joan took the boat out all by herself. Anchored spent the night out and came back in with no help. She had a ball. She is I believe the only one at our marina of 40 sailboats that will do that. Got to love a mate who will take charge. Jim S/V Java
Womens place is in the.....oops wrong section..
maybe I'll post it in the political section. just kidding, abe
maybe I'll post it in the political section. just kidding, abe
WHAT
My husband and I have been sailing for 30 plus years and 6 of those were cruising down the pacific coast and through the canal to Trinidad. I was at the helm when we went throught the locks and we both shared the job of captain. What I saw with cruisers, who's wifes we not involved...a CAPTAIN BLY!! Strenght has nothing to do with it, so man back off and teach your mate to be a captain, too!
My husband and I have been sailing for 30 plus years and 6 of those were cruising down the pacific coast and through the canal to Trinidad. I was at the helm when we went throught the locks and we both shared the job of captain. What I saw with cruisers, who's wifes we not involved...a CAPTAIN BLY!! Strenght has nothing to do with it, so man back off and teach your mate to be a captain, too!
My limited experience
I used to be ambivalent about having my wife take a more active role. One of the things I like best about sailing is that I am in charge and responsible; I wasn't sure that I wanted to have yet one more area where my wife could assert an informed opinion. However, I have since realized how much I enjoy sailing with other sailors, and that there is nothing I would like more than having my wife be a good sailor. I can't really answer why there aren't more women sailors in general; I can only say why my wife hasn't pursued it. Despite the fact that she is one of the smartest, most capable people I have ever met, she has this mindset that this is "guy stuff", and that it will be very difficult to learn. She is happy being the Admiral/Hostess, and to have me do all the heavy lifting.
I used to be ambivalent about having my wife take a more active role. One of the things I like best about sailing is that I am in charge and responsible; I wasn't sure that I wanted to have yet one more area where my wife could assert an informed opinion. However, I have since realized how much I enjoy sailing with other sailors, and that there is nothing I would like more than having my wife be a good sailor. I can't really answer why there aren't more women sailors in general; I can only say why my wife hasn't pursued it. Despite the fact that she is one of the smartest, most capable people I have ever met, she has this mindset that this is "guy stuff", and that it will be very difficult to learn. She is happy being the Admiral/Hostess, and to have me do all the heavy lifting.
Lucky to have an adventurous mate
My friend, and partner in boat ownership, is plenty adventurous, and mentally capable, but does lack some of the necessary strength for hauling lines, anchors, etc. She loves to sail, but we do have our "accepted" duties on board. I am responsible for everything above deck, plus the engine, and she is responsible for everything below deck. She can, and sometimes does, handle the wheel and trim the sails. We have talked about her learning more about the technicalities of sailing, so that she could take over if anything happened to me, or if she and her girl-friends wanted to take DreamBoat out without me along. I don't think there is any reason, other than physical strength, for a woman not being an excellent sailor.
My friend, and partner in boat ownership, is plenty adventurous, and mentally capable, but does lack some of the necessary strength for hauling lines, anchors, etc. She loves to sail, but we do have our "accepted" duties on board. I am responsible for everything above deck, plus the engine, and she is responsible for everything below deck. She can, and sometimes does, handle the wheel and trim the sails. We have talked about her learning more about the technicalities of sailing, so that she could take over if anything happened to me, or if she and her girl-friends wanted to take DreamBoat out without me along. I don't think there is any reason, other than physical strength, for a woman not being an excellent sailor.
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