Female Yacht Owners

[Skysail]

On a more serious note my late mother although having no maritime heritage supported myfather in his yachting endevours abandoning her garden and charities to navigate for him as he got sea sick below,cooked and put up with his shouting,but her most anying trait was always commenting that we ought to be somewhere else ,especially where another yacht was,due to fathersmiss judgement?

Jeanne Socrates. (Sorry)

Not to mention Helen Tew, who crossed the Atlantic at the age of 88 in her 26 ft yacht with her son. She had always wanted to after her father did not take her on the crossing in in 1926 when she was 22. A remarkable lady.

Obituary: Helen Tew

 

[Serin]

I meet one every time I look in a mirror.

 

[johnalison]

Not to mention Helen Tew, who crossed the Atlantic at the age of 88 in her 26 ft yacht with her son. She had always wanted to after her father did not take her on the crossing in in 1926 when she was 22. A remarkable lady.

Obituary: Helen Tew

We met her son with 'Helen' briefly in St Helier after their crossing. The boat appeared tiny by any standards, and was built at Mitchell's in Portmellon. My father ordered a boat from them before the war but my sister and I put paid to his dreams. though we often used to nose around the yard when it was working. Helen Tew's book about her sailing life, including the crossing, is interesting in a way, but it is clear that she moved in different social circles from most of us.

 

[capnsensible]

Not to mention Helen Tew, who crossed the Atlantic at the age of 88 in her 26 ft yacht with her son. She had always wanted to after her father did not take her on the crossing in in 1926 when she was 22. A remarkable lady.

Obituary: Helen Tew

Indeed. We met them in La Gomera and we crossed at the same time. Bril.

 

[DownWest]

I don't understand what Brexit has to do with it, why have you posted this? Are you trying to provoke people? Have you read, and grasped, the advice from the moderators?

What have transgender and Irish people done wrong. what point are you struggling with, can we help?

If you are trying to sell some sort of political message do us all a favour and peddle it somewhere else.

.

Might he just have wondered about a thread on female yacht owners? The drifted into other 'unlikely' owners to make the point.
The Brexit bit seems to be a sore point with you?

 

[Poignard]

Might he just have wondered about a thread on female yacht owners? The drifted into other 'unlikely' owners to make the point.
The Brexit bit seems to be a sore point with you?

Like someone not wanting to be reminded he was conned by a sharp salesman into buying a dud secondhand car.

"It looked so nice and shiny that I never thought to check the engine."

 

[DownWest]

Well, kicking the tires used to be the 'thing'. Very few now know anything about engines...
On the B thing, I am not a fan of the EU visions. So will leave it at that.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

Are you sure its a huge increase in participation and interest? I think you'd probably find that many women have always had an interest in some sports even if a male-dominated world, media and funding meant you saw less of it. I think what you meant was women seem to be finally getting the chance to make their presence felt in the sports your brain associates with men. They still have to put up with a load of extra shit, and get paid less for it though. Bizzarely your question comes 20 years after Ellen MacArthur showed women can compete on a level playing field at the top of the yacht racing world and over 40 years after Tracy Edwards tried to make questions like yours seem stupid.

I wonder how you know? Are you assuming that if there's a man on board he must be the owner? Are you presuming that if you stereotyped the ownership wrongly that they can be bothered to correct you? A quick peruse of the youtube sailing channels will show you that couples sailing as equals is remarkably common and you'll find probably as many solo women or all women youtube sailing channels as you will solo men or all male crew.

It was just something that interested me and I thought it might for us to talk about in a grey winter's day.

I always like to hear from my readers and value their contributions so please continue posting.

 

[johnalison]

I thought it was a fair question, even if it was unlikely to lead to any startling revelations. Although most of us are aware of many women’s competence at sailing and their presence on the ocean racing scene, I think that I have encountered relatively few boats that were primarily in the hands of women, whether as main owner or as all-women crew. The majority of boats that we meet are either husband and wife, family, or several men messing around.

 

[dom]

I meet one every time I look in a mirror.

I meet one every time I look in a mirror.

Bullseye; how lovely to see you again Serin! ?

 

[Beelzebub]

Back in the seventies, I occasionally crewed for a lady who raced an Arpege. She then changed to something a bit more interesting and I had the privilege of sailing with her on this:-

Document sans titre

Sadly, Val sailed off into the great unknown a few months ago but I consider it an honour to have sailed with her and also enjoyed the odd libation with her at the yacht club.

 

[LittleSister]

Apart from her, I have only come across the odd female/females that own and sail their own boat.

You wait until you come across the male ones.

They're even odder!

 

[steve yates]

Yes there are still some clubs that have a Ladies day / lady helm race, although most of the participants helm in ALL the races on equal terms.
My last boat was purchased from a couple where the wife was the sailor, the husband went under suffrage but did the navigation. The boat was in joint names as many are.

Aye, ours not only has this, it actually suggests giving the ladies the helm for the day! And even better, the winner gets awarded The Petticoat Cup
I was a bit gobsmacked when I saw that

Must admit, I just assumed the op was looking for a more nuanced dating option

 

[chrishscorp]

Four that I can recollect, two I have sailed with and the other two I would like to sail with.

 

[Serin]

Bullseye; how lovely to see you again Serin! ?

Thank you, Dom

 

[doug748]

I thought it was a fair question, even if it was unlikely to lead to any startling revelations. Although most of us are aware of many women’s competence at sailing and their presence on the ocean racing scene, I think that I have encountered relatively few boats that were primarily in the hands of women, whether as main owner or as all-women crew. The majority of boats that we meet are either husband and wife, family, or several men messing around.

Quite, I was looking forward to some amusing anecdotes. Here's one.


My stout mate was racing with a female martinet skipper well known for her robust temperament. I say stout, to be frank he has a rather large overhanging belly that falls over his belt.

Bowling downwind under spinnaker, she announced: "I must have a piss before this next mark" and proceeded to drop her trousers and pee in a bucket. The cockpit crew were aghast

"What's the matter" she said "have you never seen a woman's genitals before?"

"never in the open air" may mate said

"and I must admit I have not even seen mine for twenty years......."



OK, perhaps you had to be there but it made me laugh.

.

 

[Caladh]

Yup - sold my yacht to one who has become more than capable.

 

[Mudisox]

Why is the gender of ownership so important? Plenty of competent skilful ladies on the water.

 

[awol]

Why is the gender of ownership so important? Plenty of competent skilful ladies on the water.

... and, unfortunately, plenty of incompetent, unskilled males who never seem to learn.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Why is the gender of ownership so important? ...

To the RYA it is important as a measure of inclusiveness in sailing, hence their surveys from time to time, so they can help to address any bias that may be prohibiting sectors of society to participate. For the marine business sector it is important to understand the gender demographics so they can decide how best to address.

In my view questions like this from the OP are a healthy sign because of exactly the discussion that this has generated. Groups within society do tend to have bias, either direct or indirect, which can exclude people from participating. Hence, if nothing else, being aware, or day I say it, woke, about such matters, is a good thing.

I don't think sailing has an issue with females, for as long as I have been interested in this sport or pastime, woman have always featured as boat owners and skippers and that has only grown as barriers, perceived or real, to participation have fallen.