How We Learn, Sharing Our Stories
March 17th, 2010 - by Laurie Clark
I don’t know why I’m terrified of water.
It’s not as though I have memories of any tragic or traumatic moment in my life, such as I’ve heard others tell when detailing their fear of the deep.
In fact, I remember a few family outings as a child to Terracina or Sabaudia or even San Felice (Italy) – beautiful warm water – like soup actually – and beaches that stretched for miles on the Mediterranean side of Italy (just south of Rome, where I come from) that were filled with laughter and a lot of splashing.
Of course great food was always a requirement for these outings, making us totally stuffed and horribly heavy as we waddled back into the soup after lunch.
I remember the beaches seemed very long and wide, a bit of a walk to arrive at the shoreline, and the sandbars seemed to go out for miles before the deep water.
My father swam well and enjoyed swimming – so why was I so frightened?
Well, let’s do what all analysts do
…let’s break it down into small sections.
Dad swam, Mom did not, my sister didn’t when small and only does so on occasion as an adult, my brother…not sure actually. I don’t swim and my son is now terrified of water and doesn’t swim (not proud of this legacy).
A friend once commented that Romans can’t swim.
…Read more
Q&A: The Big Decision, Sharing Our Stories
February 17th, 2010 - by Kathleen Watt
Question:
My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.
I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.
I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.
– Judy and John
(Women and Cruising sent Judy’s question to several of our friends/contributors for their thoughts. You can read Beth Leonard ’s response here, and Sherry McCampbell’s here. Here is the third response we received, from Kathleen Watt.)
Kathleen Watt responds:
Dear Judy,
When I was asked if I would be interested in responding to your question, I not only wanted to, but felt compelled to do so.
You see, my story is not unlike yours.
I moved aboard and went cruising at age 38.
I had a daughter who was a sophomore in high school, a great, well paying job, and was about to complete a university degree that I had worked long and hard for, while working full-time for many years.
I was not a boater (I got pretty seasick), I was not a water person (terrified of deep water and not a strong swimmer) and I had never sailed before. …Read more
Sharing Our Stories
September 1st, 2009 - by Suzanne Giesemann
I’ve spoken to women at boat shows around the country and in Canada about the joys of the cruising life.
I’ve advised thousands of women to take a look at whatever it is about cruising that they didn’t like, then examine their thoughts about that issue. Often a mere shift in attitude can make all the difference as far as our enjoyment of boating goes.
So imagine my dismay during the first three months of our current cruising adventure to discover that no matter how much I tried to adjust my attitude, I was not a happy sailor.
In fact, I pretty much hated everything about this lousy cruising life.
…Read more
