Are you ready to sail?

 
I get many emails and inquiries every month from other women who are about to begin their own life afloat with their partner and they want to know what is required to be able to get out cruising the big oceans. Many are worried that they do not have the right amount of experience and knowledge with everything from boat handling to safety routines and they ask me about how it really is to be living on a boat, how much do one need to know about safety, what should they do if something happens to them or their partner and are they really able to take care of it all in case something would happen. I understand these insecurities as it is quite a responsibility you take on when setting off for adventures on the sea. A responsibility for yourself, for your partner and the boat - your home. A sort of responsibility that mainly lays on the one who has the most experience onboard, but also on the crew - the woman in most cases, as you basically will be the only one in charge during your watches on night passages and obviously also in case something would happen to your partner.

For me personally, who never had been sailing in my life before I met Alex, I never really questioned these type of things too much as I know that everything is possible to learn with time. If so many people love the sport of sailing and feel confident in that, why wouldn't I be able to learn it myself? Obviously I also felt very secure with Alex's sailing experience. I am a learning by doing kind of person and I refused to start reading sailing books before I actually got out sailing for real, as I believe that I learn better and faster when I practice with real things rather than with only books.

That being said, there are loads of good and informative books which I found out about later on and some of them are great to get started with. My absolute favorite one, which I think I showed you for some months ago as well, is The new complete sailing manual written by Steve Sleight. A fantastically well written and informative book which covers everything one possibly needs to know about the basics of sailing, boat terms, safety equipment, navigation, boat handling and much more. Every time I have a doubt on for example how to really put an anchor (mainly when Alex and I have an argument about it) or when I need to learn about different navigational lights etc, I go straight back to the book and I easily get the information needed. There are also some really good websites out there, Boater Exam is one that I recently ran across and they have a great boater education course and a boat safety course on the site with easy and informative videos teaching you the basics of boats and sailing and the safety around them, in a very easy and understandable way.

I have understood that there will never come a time when you are fully "ready" or completely in the know of everything. I know some guys who've been boaters for 50-60 years and they still learn things about sailing, so do not make the whole thing greater than it is. Sailing and the life on the sea should be fun and fulfilling and as long as you have the right attitude towards it, the rest will come with time. One other thing that I've learnt is that many couples have very hard to communicate when it comes to boat handling. Naturally, the man (I say man here as the skipper in most cases are men) have to take a dominant and leading role as the skipper and if you're a woman like me and you have extremely hard to deal with authorities and people who are telling you what to do and not to, the communication can easily (and often) fail.

Because of the verbal fights one might have to deal with when learning to sail, I have came to understand that it's best that I try to learn much of the basics by myself and for that my book and different websites have been a great help. Less fights occur the more I get sailing and the sea into my veins, but still the most important thing to remember is that you definitely need to make sure that both of you uses the same vocabulary and terms so that misunderstandings doesn't make your life too complicated. Living on a small boat is tight as it is already, so every precaution you can take to make life easier for each other while sailing is essential. This goes for both the skipper and the "crew".

I have loads of more things I could write about this but I'll stop here for this time. Lastly I want to remind you of that I know how hard it can be to get started just like with anything new in life, but believe me it is all so much worth it in the end. A life on the sea is painful and a bit hectic in small doses every now and then, but the reward you get when getting into the rhythm makes it all worthwhile.

Remember now to get that book I told you about, I can see that they have it on sale on Amazon and also try getting out on the sea as much as you can - the warmer and sunnier it is, the easier it is to get addicted and the easier will you learn. And do let me know if I can be of any help for your planning of your first circumnavigation or any new sailing adventures you're about to take on.