Female only day skipper

tudorsailor

tudorsailor

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My 24 year old daughter asked about doing a day skipper practical course. I thought she would enjoy somewhere warm rather than the Solent! Tenerife seems a pleasant option or maybe Gib. I know that some schools have ladies only courses. I seem to recall a school called ladys4sail or something similar, but cannot now find it on the Net

Can anyone (or their SWMBO) recommend a suitable school?

Thanks

TudorSailor
 
We did ours with Allabroad in Gibraltar. Not women only, but most certainly woman friendly. If you go with this lot you don't need a woman only course, and I'll bet it's more enjoyable with a mix.
 
Lady Sailor said:
We did ours with Allabroad in Gibraltar. Not women only, but most certainly woman friendly. If you go with this lot you don't need a woman only course, and I'll bet it's more enjoyable with a mix.
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Why would one want a 'women only' course? I can only think that it is to avoid either being 'hit on' or put on tea making duty.

There's not a lot a school can do about the first but one would expect grown up ladies to be able to sort anyone who tries it on but the second case would surely result in the school going out of business fairly quickly.

A question for anyone (of either sex) who has been to a sailing school in the last 20 years - have you seen women being sidelined either by instructors or male students?

Or is it a privacy issue? The last sailing school I went out with had a 4-berth cabin shared my a mixed crew of strangers. It didn't seem to bother anyone.
 
snowleopard said:
Why would one want a 'women only' course?
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Seems odd to me as well, but then I are a bloke :)

I think it's neither of the things you suggested, and more like a concern about the "shouting syndrome" of some nervous male skippers. That or a worry that trainee male skippers might all be competing to be better than each other. I doubt I'm bang-on (I refer you to my first sentence) but suspect I'm closer than your wolf-whistling or tea-duty theories.

Pete
 
Who wouldn't want to be on a course suitable for 'laydees'....
emily_florence.jpg


:)

J
 
When I said tea duty I wasn't meaning it literally, more of the 'don't bother your pretty head, leave it to the men' or being sidelined by machismo.
 
tudorsailor said:
My 24 year old daughter asked about doing a day skipper practical course. I thought she would enjoy somewhere warm rather than the Solent! Tenerife seems a pleasant option or maybe Gib. I know that some schools have ladies only courses. I seem to recall a school called ladys4sail or something similar, but cannot now find it on the Net

Can anyone (or their SWMBO) recommend a suitable school?

Thanks

TudorSailor
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Sounds like you are smothering her & spoiling her.Not the best way to equipe anyone for the real world (just my own personal opinion).:eek:
 
tudorsailor said:
My 24 year old daughter asked about doing a day skipper practical course. I thought she would enjoy somewhere warm rather than the Solent! Tenerife seems a pleasant option or maybe Gib. I know that some schools have ladies only courses. I seem to recall a school called ladys4sail or something similar, but cannot now find it on the Net

Can anyone (or their SWMBO) recommend a suitable school?

Thanks

TudorSailor
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Try switching off parental controls when Googling "ladies for sale", it might reap better (if not slightly alternative) rewards! ;) :D
 
can't help thinking that not everyone is taking this thread seriously...

I believe Dream or Two (as per my post above) also have a website "sailing women" too...
 
Well, there was a sailing school around here a long time ago that one of my friends wife went on (it was mixed) - she was not impressed and the experience practically put her off sailing.
I believe the sailing school at Suffolk Yacht Harbour do Ladies Only courses - there is also one in the Solent I believe.
 
Girlsforsail is the company I think you were alluding to.
Strange that people would take issue with girls enjoying sailing as a group. I've been on boys only sailing trips and it creates a different dynamic. As to the warmer weather, that's a no brainer!
 
My last RYA course had a woman course instructor. She was outstanding as an instructor yet really tore a strip of one guy because he cocked up at the last minute when coming alongside a pontoon.
I'd heard of stroppy skippers but female instructors?! She's a redhead perhaps that has something to do with her dual personality. ;)
Not sure why a young woman of 24yrs needs to seek a womens only boat though?? Has she led a sheltered life or what?
 
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PetiteFleur said:
Well, there was a sailing school around here a long time ago that one of my friends wife went on (it was mixed) - she was not impressed and the experience practically put her off sailing.
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Was the problem with the course related to the fact that it was mixed?

I'm still trying to find out if women really do have problems through men being present on courses.
 
mixmaster said:
Girlsforsail is the company I think you were alluding to.
Strange that people would take issue with girls enjoying sailing as a group. I've been on boys only sailing trips and it creates a different dynamic. As to the warmer weather, that's a no brainer!
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No issue at all with "girls enjoying sailing as a group", more querying the rationale for single sex instruction, and for the record, I've never seen "guys only sailing" course advertised... (Not that I'd go one one even if advertised!)

My question for the OP would be, given she is doing DS, and will at some point presumably be a skipper on a boat (and hence in charge), when is she going to learn to deal with the presumed excess of machismo in mixed groups? Unless she never ever sails with a male on board (unlikely), human nature (unfortunately) dictates that at some point she will almost certainly be in the situation where a crew member amply demonstrates "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" crossed with "don't worry your pretty little head dear", better to have her deal with that under the watchful eye of an instructor than whilst heading for a pontoon (or rock) at great speed...

Effective crew co-ordination and control can be one of the single trickiest bits of skippering, it doesn't do anyone any favours to deliberately shelter people from what are sadly quite normal group dynamics. You obviously want her to enjoy it, but this is a training trip, not purely a pleasure trip.

Perhaps the better question is what Gibraltar schools have the female members of the forum had good experience with in mixed groups?

And of course, following the weather is a no brainer! :)

Cheers,

Jamie
 
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