Competence is the key
The 1980 edition of the Governor’s State university magazine Creative Women is dedicated to sailing women and I quote from an article ‘First Time Skipper’ by Joan Shipley .
“Men it seems to me, are brought up to feel that they can and should; women that they can’t and shouldn’t.
It took me 9 years’ sailing to realize that I am a competent sailor and last winter I began to wonder whether I could break out of my allotted role.
I could handle the boat under sail and under power though in tight spots under power I would often hand over, feeling I must be certain of getting it right first time or else not try.”
However Joan apparently got over her shyness and one day she took the boat out without husband and played skipper to a crew consistent of daughter and husband.
After her victory trip where all went well under her command she reflects; “It is fun to be the boss, to be responsible and take decisions and it is fun too to manage the crew and make a trip that challenges them but is enjoyable as well.
It has added enormously to my sailing confidence and to my confidence in myself generally. I can now see that men enjoy being the skipper and guard their position so jealously.”
Bridget Marsh, who took responsibility for the above edition of Creative Women dedicated to sailing women, is a very accomplished sailor herself and very committed to having women enjoy sailing.
Bridget stresses the importance of equity on boats.
As a flotilla hostess for charter yachts in the Mediterranean Bridget got to see the attitudes of new comers to sailing and how men and women automatically reverted back to the roles they had at home.
Women went down below and men stayed on deck.
This of course doesn’t add to anybody’s equity.
Women don’t learn to trust the boat or learn to do anything relating to managing the boat.
When they need to help they don’t know what to do, as there is not time for explanation or training in time of need they continue feeling inadequate, they fumble while doing their tasks and at worse get shouted at for being so incompetent.
Bridget was adamant to give the women a chance to learn just as much as the men and she enjoyed seeing both men and women arriving nervous and ignorance and leaving confident and knowledgeable.
So not much has changed since 1980, to have both men and women enjoy sailing both need to be confident in boat handling.