Women who cruise solo-- tell me about your experiences

[dghaynie]

i sailed alone, with crew and in company with another sailor on a 27 footer in the 70's and 80's. It was great. I always had as much company as I wanted wherever I went. My advice is keep your boat small and uncomplicated. Sue Clair

[christinekling]

As per the title of this thread, I will relate a little about my experience. I sailed solo for about 8-10 years in my Caliber 33 up and down the East Coast of the US and in the Bahamas. I chose the boat because it was comfortable to live aboard, strongly built, sailed reasonably well, and it had a good rub rail and an electric windlass. Even though I had been sailing and had crossed 40,000 miles of blue water with my (first) husband and also had my 100-ton captain's license, to be honest, I had NEVER docked any of our boats. And that's very typical for many boat wives. I chose my Caliber as my "training wheels" boat, and I told myself I wasn't going to beat myself up if I bounced off a piling or two while learning.

To start with I went out in open water and practiced over and over backing up and turning the boat in her own length. I wanted to get some muscle memory so I wasn't flustered when I approached the dock. Then I found an open space of public dock and went in over and over and practiced laying her alongside, hanging my dock lines on the lifelines, and grabbing one line before I jumped onto the dock. I practiced picking up moorings in calm weather, as well as reefing the main, all way before I had to do it in bad weather. And when going into a marina or fuel dock, always radio ahead and tell them you are coming in singlehanded and they will usually send someone down to give you a hand. You'll learn to drape your dock lines over your lifelines so that the dock hand can grab them easily.

In spite of all my experience and practice, I had some spectacular fails, but I was having so much fun being captain of my own boat after years of being first mate, I didn't let it freak me out or slow me down. After a while, I got better and had fewer embarrassing moments.

Yes, some guys (most of whom are armchair/marina sailors) are going to try to talk your ear off telling you what to do. Generally, the most experienced and knowledgeable sailors are the quietest. You really have to work at getting them to talk, but it's worth it because what they have to say is great for learning and getting better. Even better is talking to other women solo sailors and women who love sailing and are sailing with men who treat them as equals aboard. There are more and more of these knowledgeable women all the time.

The worst thing was going to boat shows looking to spend money and buy gear for my boat. It was like I was invisible. I could never get the attention of any of the salesmen in the booths. THAT really used to tick me off.

I never did more than a 2 overnight trip solo, and sometimes I would be pretty scared, but generally as soon as I was underway, I was fine. That was perhaps because I had so much sailing experience (I'd sailed to New Zealand and back, from CA to Panama and through the Caribbean but as first mate, not captain) and I wasn't a stranger to night watches. Anyway, you just get busy doing what you need to do, and I found I wouldn't be frightened once underway.

It's important to learn to do some of the maintenance and repairs yourself. I often would ask friends and family for help because another set of hands was a good thing for things like changing out batteries, installing a new head, cranking me up the mast for antenna replacements, or running the wiring and lines for a new refrigeration system, among others. Get a copy of Nigel Calder's Boat Owner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual and don't be afraid to try some repairs with the help of the equipment's manual for whatever you are trying to fix. It's not rocket science, though some men would have women think so. Once you've fixed even one thing or changed your own fuel filters or engine oil, your confidence will soar. It's usually a lack of confidence that is the major difference between men and women's ability to do these things that are not strength related.

Yes, it was lonely at times. In fact, I stopped sailing solo when I met another solo sailor, and he is now my second husband. I sold my boat and moved aboard his boat, and I was quite happy to hand the boat maintenance over to him. I am a far more confident sailor as a result of my years of running my own boat, but sometimes we do knock heads over things because it doesn't always work to have two captains. At times I miss being solo simply because I didn't have to compromise all the time. I love my husband, but he doesn't always know the proper way to do things

There is no reason you can't do it alone. Sailing isn't for everyone, but if it is for you, you will have a great time. For the most part, the cruising community will be there to help you out whenever you need help. Good luck!

[Jim Cate]

^^^^^

Christine, that's a really good post! It should be inspirational to the OP and to other wannabe sailors... of both sexes.

Good onya!

Jim

[TrentePieds]

Bravo, Christine :-)!

TrentePieds

[boatman61]

Wot Jim and TP sed...

[dlj]

I'm not usually one to pile on, but that was one of the best posts I've seen on a very long time. Not only an excellent answer to the OP, but for anyone that sails....

dj