Rant
My crew-member Anna recently posted on her blog about how there aren’t a lot of women boat owners or skippers and that got me started on one of my pet peeves: sexism.
It seems most guys get into things like sailing or backpacking or mountain climbing or triathlons because one day they wake up and think, “Hey, sounds cool, I should do that” and they go out and buy a boat or whatever (despite having no clue) but people are shocked if a woman approaches anything that way. (Seriously, you wouldn’t believe some of the comments I’ve gotten) Now, one could make the argument that we aren’t as foolhardy or maybe we’re just smarter. And while either one of those may be correct, it still means that we’re missing out on so much in life.
A lot of women I know get into things simply because their boyfriend is into it, so he gets to play the big man and teach them. Their is very little that can make me disrespect someone faster than this. Women – we have to go out and chase our dreams. We can’t sit around waiting for someone to lead the way. You want to sail? Buy a boat. Oh, wait, please take lessons first. But then, buy the damn boat.
Where does this come from? Why is it so difficult for us to try the things we want to? I think it comes from parents raising sons to think they are the center of the universe while daughters are supposed to be nice. My brother and I grew up in a family with no money where there was a constant refrain of “No, that costs money.” Yet somehow, by age 15 he was buying motocycles, surfboards, expensive cameras and welding supplies. Me, I wasn’t allowed to spend my own money, I didn’t even have a real winter jacket to get me through a Montreal winter. Some of my friends had parents who didn’t let them do things because it wouldn’t be safe for them, although it was for their brothers.
So, to further rant about Anna’s comment about not a lot of women having their own boats: its not because we can’t or don’t want to, it’s because we’ve been raised to believe we shouldn’t. We’re either not worth spending the money on or we’ve been brainwashed into thinking its not safe for us, but its okay for men.
If you want to get thrown off my boat, ask me what man sails it for me. Go ahead, I dare you.
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Indian Summer
I have a boat. Sometimes, she tries to kill me, but I know its only because she loves me.
My boat is a 1968 Coronado 25, which means she’s older than me and has become a “classic beauty.”
Check out Liz Clark at http://www.wetsand.com/page-feature.asp?locationid=5&tabid=1048&subtabid=1495&catid=1495
guys so often, instead of chasing their dreams, spend their dream cash making up stories in the bar.
That’s exactly what I told my mom: “You want to sail? Buy a boat.” And she did. Now, after a few years, she has realized that she doesn’t want that type of boat (probably wants something smaller that she can sail alone), but she is feeling bad about selling it. That’s the other thing that us women need to get over. If we don’t want the boat, get rid of it. We aren’t making a lifelong commitment to our hobbies, and if we don’t want to do them anymore, we should move on and not feel bad about not doing the old activity.
Feeling a little better about this after randomly talking with another diner at Chapeau! (fabulous restaurant, btw, go directly there, do not pass go, do not collect … on second thought, make sure you collect $200 before going to Chapeau! but it is worth it).
The diner next to me was eavesdropping on my conversation and chimed in with “Do you have a boat?!” I said yes, brief conversation ensued, then she told me all about her horse. Meanwhile, her husband doesn’t ride, he golfs. Yay them!