I’d like to let you know about the Cruising Women program that Pam Wall, Beth Leonard and I will be giving at Cruisers University on April 25-26 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Last April, as Pam Wall and I finished our second year as faculty at Cruisers University, (a fun weekend in Annapolis of in-depth courses to prepare people for cruising), we were approached by Paul Jacobs, the director of Cruisers University and manager of the Annapolis Sailboat and Powerboat Shows:
“I would like you two to put together an in-depth two-day program on cruising, just for women.”
TWO DAYS! Imagine what we could do in two whole days –MUCH, MUCH more than is ever possible in a one hour Women and Cruising seminar! Of course we were excited! But….
“We want BOATS – we don’t want to do this all in a classroom – we want to take women aboard several boats, and spend time aboard learning about the equipment and routines aboard. To see it, touch it, use it…”
“Fine”, said Paul.
“And”, we said, “We would like to invite our good friend, Beth Leonard, to join us – together the three of us would make a fantastic team. We want to give women a variety of perspectives to help each woman find her own unique answers.”
“Excellent”, said Paul.
Since then, Pam, Beth and I have been planning how to make the most of this fantastic opportunity to introduce women to, and prepare women for, cruising.
We women approach cruising from various perspectives. For some of us, it was first the dream of our husband, or boyfriend or partner, and our first question was “What is cruising like? Do I want to do it?” For others, it was an individual or joint dream – we LIKE the idea of cruising, but don’t know if we are skilled enough, smart enough, young enough, rich enough, brave enough to pull it off….
And for yet others, we KNOW we want to go cruising, we know we can do it, and we want to acquire the skills and knowledge so we can get out there and make a success of cruising.
This course is designed for all of these women, to answer their questions and needs. First of all, we are going to introduce you to cruising, help you learn what it is like, in all its variations – aboard sailboat and powerboat, cruising close to home, or to the Caribbean, or around the world – sailing with your partner, or family, or by yourself. We are going to cover the skills that you need to acquire and help you figure out what you know already and what you still need. We will spend time aboard several different boats, in small groups, learning about the equipment that we live with, discussing daily routines, what works and what doesn’t.
And most importantly, you will have LOTS of time to ask your questions and to raise your concerns about cruising. This is a very personal, and fun course. We will talk, laugh, tie knots, heave lines, poke around with equipment, discuss ALL your questions and practical issues – and come out of this whole weekend ready to understand the cruising life to make your dream come true.
We hope you can join us – the Cruising Women 2-day program will take place, during the Annapolis Spring Sailboat Show, April 25-26 in Annapolis, Maryland, as part of the 4-day Cruisers University.
Registration for this unique event is through Cruisers University. For those of you who might want to attend Cruisers University as a couple, there are programs on Diesel Maintenance or Weather (or other elective classes on Friday) that your partner might want to attend while you are in the Cruising Women program. And there are lots of elective classes that either of you can attend after the class on Saturday and Sunday – everything from outfitting to weather to cruising the Bahamas or Caribbean.
For more information, contact Cruisers University, or Nancy Grisham at 410-263-7802. You may also contact me, Pam Wall or Beth Leonard for more information on our program. We look forward to a fun and rewarding and empowering weekend with you!
Best,
Kathy Parsons
About us
Kathy Parsons
In 20+ years of live-aboard cruising, Kathy Parsons has sailed the US, Bahamas, Caribbean, Central and South America aboard four cruising boats ranging from 30 to 42 feet. Kathy Parsons is well-known in the international cruising community for her books Spanish for Cruisers and French for Cruisers – language guides used by thousands of boaters around the world to help them communicate as they sail in foreign countries. Kathy is also the founder of the Women and Cruising website and seminars. The WomenandCruising.com website provides resources, advice and inspiration for women sailors. Over a thousand women (and men) have attended Women and Cruising seminars, getting answers to the questions they have about cruising.
Contact: kathybparsons@gmail.com
Pam Wall
Pam Wall was raised in Chicago sailing summers with her father on Lake Michigan. While attending University of Wisconsin she became the first woman president of the Hoofers, the sailing club at University of Wisconsin. Pam had their honeymoon sailing her husband Andy’s 30 foot sloop across the Atlantic. Three years later they sailed home from Europe to begin building KANDARIK their Freya 39, hull number ONE! In 1985 Pam and Andy set out around the world on KANDARIK with their two children. Six years later they returned to Fort Lauderdale, and Pam got a job at West Marine as the Outfitting Manager and Cruising Consultant. Pam can be seen at boat shows across the country giving seminars with Kathy Parsons and her own seminars on outfitting, cruising, product knowledge and more. Check out her web-site, www.pamwall.com
Contact: pam@pamwall.com
Beth Leonard
Beth Leonard is the Director of Technical Services for BoatUS and Technical Editor for all BoatUS publications. Before joining BoatUS, Beth and her husband, Evans Starzinger, completed two circumnavigations and logged more than 110,000 nautical miles. Between 1992 and 1995, they sailed westabout by way of the Panama Canal, Torres Straits and the Cape of Good Hope aboard their Shannon 37, Silk. They spent four years ashore building their 47-foot aluminum Van de Stadt Samoa sloop, Hawk, before leaving again in 1999. They completed a ten-year, eastabout circumnavigation by way of all of the Great Capes that took them as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Cape Horn. Beth has written hundreds of articles for more than a dozen sailing magazines including Cruising World, Practical Sailor, Good Old Boat, and Yachting World. Beth is the author of three books: The Voyager’s Handbook, Following Seas and the award-winning Blue Horizons.
Contact: bleonard@boatus.com
Website: www.bethandevans.com
