This year the conference is about women extending their range. That ...Read more]]>
The Women’s Sailing Conference, held each June in Marblehead, is great fun. I’ve been involved one way or another many times. It amazes me how many women come back year after year. It also astounds me how quickly and enthusiastically women learn from each other.

This year the conference is about women extending their range. That might mean different things to different participants:

• First overnight cruise
• Doing all the navigating for a short trip
• Going to Maine for two weeks
• Crossing the Gulf Stream
• Moving aboard

The one-day conference – Saturday, June 1, 2013 – will be moderated by Beth Leonard, long-time and long-distance sailor and Technical Editor for BoatUS publications.

Panelists are

• Capt. Sharon Renk-Greenlaw, owner of Women Under Sail in Maine;
• Capt. Nancy Erley of Seattle, founder of Tethys Offshore who has twice circumnavigated with all-women crews;
• and me, Betsy Morris of Marblehead, a long-time cruiser.

There’s more information available at www.womensailing.org, including the registration form. There’s a nice discount for those registering before May 15th.

I can’t wait to see who’ll attend this year.

It was clear: never darken the ...Read more]]> The captain put me in charge of getting us from point A to point B. I was responsible for upping anchor, route planning, navigating and dropping the hook at our destination.

My cruising life started and nearly ended in 2007. It just wasn’t what I thought or hoped it would be.

It was clear: never darken the boarding ladder again, or find out for myself what I wanted from cruising. My own approach to living in this watery world for months at a time.

I wondered what other cruising women were thinking about and doing on their boats. So I started to ask them. One of the areas we talked about was educating ourselves.

Common amongst the women I spoke with was a learning style based on doing.

Explanations, instructions, words, only go so far. Perhaps it’s my own conclusion but the women seemed similar to me in this regard.

Crawling into the engine room to clean the shower pump filter. A small but vital job.

I sensed, too, that explanations and instructions could be an obstacle to learning – especially when offered by a spouse. Not to be negative about the spouse’s efforts and intent. It can simply be a mismatch of teaching and learning styles – a situation I’m familiar with.

It is absolutely necessary to immerse myself in whatever subject area of sailing that I wish to learn. I cannot standby and hope to learn. Some observation is important but I have realized that unless I force myself to read weather books so I can be part of weather discussions; take time to pour over charts; pay attention to local knowledge when it’s being shared; I cannot really be part of route planning.

An impediment to learning shared by more woman than just me is a spouse who is more knowledgeable.

The Captain agrees to dock lines and duct tape to restrain himself from taking over.

It’s sometimes easier to abdicate and let the more competent person do it. And sometimes the more competent person has a hard time letting go and giving the student space to learn. It can be a difficult balance to find. When something needs to be done now and done right, it’s not a time to chance a mistake.

However, most moments on the boat are not like that and there is room for learning from one’s mistakes.

The challenge is for the student to be persistent in their own learning. Watch, read, talk to others, and try. Don’t stop trying. Insist with yourself and others that you will keep on trying. Above all, resist berating yourself for not knowing or making a mistake. Lock your successes firmly in your mind and touch on them often.

There are a few key knowledge areas that came up in my discussions with women.

Sailing

Two women I talked to really stand out for me.

The first one, a single hander, learned to sail on the 25 foot sailboat her and her husband bought when their kids were young. They would head out to their boat on weekends. Saturday morning was her time to take the boat out alone. She’d try this, that and everything in between as she figured out how to set the sails, manage the lines and navigate. Later, she’d talk to her husband about her morning solo experience and sort out any questions she had.

Years later the marriage ended. The husband didn’t want the sailboat but she did. She continued to take the kids out on sailing weekends. Her sailing and boat handling knowledge continued to grow – as it’s bound to when you spend time with the boat on the water.

Today, one of her grown sons owns a boatyard. And she single hands her 42 ft sloop throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean, taking crew on board for passages as needed.

I’m wowed. But I totally get it. I could see myself taking a small sail boat out alone on the lake we live near at our land based home. I could mess around and if I couldn’t get myself back to shore I could radio for help. (Always good to have a fall back position!) I could practice reading the wind, setting the sails, tacking and jibing, coming along side bouys, to my heart’s content. No one to critique or offer up a flow of words (well meaning advice) that I just can’t process when I’m in my “experiential learning” mode. I could bask in the glory of making and solving my own mistakes. It’s what I do best. So why not do it on a sailboat?

I have in fact met another female single hander moored at St. Augustine, Florida who subscribes to the trial and error learning method herself. And she knows other women single handers that do, too! I’m not alone! I want to sail away with these women! I ask her if she was afraid of running into stuff. She tells me it’s a foregone conclusion that you will hit things. And she has run into things. So have her single handing friends. No major catastrophes ensued. It’s ok. (If you think about, many male captains have at least one story of running into a dock, shallow spot, wall, boat, etc. and have lived to laugh about it.)

The second woman that stands out in my conversations about how women learn to sail their boats, took a sailing course. It was a very good course, she says, and co-ed. When it came to the hands on sailing, an interesting – but not totally surprising – thing happened. The men wanted to step up and do all the “heavy” work. She had to literally elbow them aside saying “I came here to learn”. It was the right thing – the only thing – for her to do, in my books. At the same time it takes courage and decisiveness. Hmmm, yes it does.

Many other women have talked to me about the value of the women only sailing courses they’ve taken. I intend to do that one day but, as yet, have not had the time and money. And I’m getting more interested in the idea of a small sailboat on our lake back “home”.

Charts, Route Planning and Navigating

Consulting the charts and cruising guide before setting out on the next leg of our trip.

At first, sea sickness kept me from studying the charts. Charts are key, though! (And in this digital age, many would argue that so is the chart plotter.) Charts are to sailing as road maps are to driving and topographical maps are to wilderness travel.

So I started looking at the charts when we were at anchor or on a very calm passage. I discovered that my background in using topographical maps for hiking and canoe trips, compasses, and latitudes and longitudes gave me a good start with the charts.

Charts can’t be read in isolation from weather (primarily wind direction and speed), low and high tides, and sunrise and sunset. All these factors are woven into an intricate blend of information for sailors’ decisions. And provide the fodder for a favourite cruiser discussion – where and when to go next.

I found, too, that I use the charts slightly differently than my spouse. For example, I rely more on latitude and longitude readings, and topographical features. I wouldn’t have discovered this if I had tried to use charts exactly the way he does.

My friend Jo on s/v Serenade works out her routes with paper, pencil and straight edge – a skill she acquired in the classroom and with practice.

A woman sailor told me that she preferred to rely on one source of information for navigating. Multiple sources just confused things for her.

She relied on a handheld Garmin and sight, along with paper charts. She had navigated from Florida south to the Jumentos in the Bahamas and did not appear lost, so her system worked. (I think of the costly chart plotters I’ve seen at the West Marine store. They look like flat screen TVs to me. I will allow that perhaps they are worth every penny to some, but at present they seem like overkill to me.)

I’m glad to hear about the good service her handheld Garmin has done. We have one on board for back up to the modestly sized chart plotter mounted at the helm station.

Electrical Systems

The charger/inverter controller is where it’s at if you want to know how your system is charging. Ours is installed by the electrical panels. There is no shortage of dials and switches.

One woman I talked to is reading a manual on marine electrical systems to educate herself on how things work! Impressed, my eyebrows raised, all I can say is ‘wow”!

For the first few years, my knowledge was limited to understanding that batteries are recharged when the engine or generator is running and that we need a couple hours a day of either (or a mix) to keep electricity flowing. And I understood – as I do now – that electricity conservation is a must. Perhaps that’s the first thing to understand about electricity.

Another woman I spoke to dealt with electricity knowledge by not needing it. She owns a boat with her grandfather. Together, they set the goal of not turning on the engine. She is the first woman I’ve met that is nearly exclusively wind powered. She has a solar panel to power the vhf radio for communication, and a single side band receiver and am/fm radio from which they try to get weather information. Simplicity. Of course, the trade-offs are less weather information opportunities, and no cold beer, butter, and hot showers. Some days I bet the trade-offs are worth it, and some days not.

I’ve started reading books about electricity, batteries, inverters and chargers. Last week I went to a boaters’ seminar on electrical systems. (Before the seminar started a man sitting beside us said to me I was probably there to learn how to use the blow dryer. He had the good grace to realize he probably shouldn’t have said that.)

The next day I took notes as my husband set up the generator to charge the batteries. My next challenge is to do the set up myself. (All boats are set up differently – ours is moderately complex.) I can now have a basic conversation with my spouse about our own system aboard. Last year, I crawled into the far reaches of engine room to check the water level in the batteries. Not rocket science but, hey, it’s a start. (At the same time I made a foray into plumbing maintenance. I removed, cleaned and replace the filter basket in the line that drains the shower. )

At this point in my conversations with women, I know I’m in good company when I say I need to learn about this sailing life by doing, more so than watching or being told.

It can be a struggle to not sit back passively and let others do the things that right now seem too challenging. For me, though, learning is the only way I’m going to really get into this cruising life.

About Karen Bergman

A caricature of me my former colleagues gave to me when I retired last year. Sailing /cruising seems so exotic to those who haven’t done it.

I was born and raised in southern Alberta, Canada. For over 22 years I lived in Canada’s Arctic where my children were born and raised. My first adventure on the ocean was in an open boat to fish and hunt seals. In early spring we travelled on the frozen ice by snowmobile and komatik (a sled with runners). (No, we didn’t live in igloos! And, yes, we had electricity and running water.)

When I was young, I had romantic dreams about sailing around the world. I didn’t really think about how that would work given I get motion sick on a swing. My first adventure on a sail boat in 2007 saw us traveling around the Florida panhandle in a 32 foot Pearson, Island Breezes. I remember the heat, nausea, lightning storms and a water spout bearing down on us when our motor was disabled. Our max speed was 1 knot. I was terrified.

And unimpressed by the whole thing. I thought there had to be more to this cruising life. Next year we cruised in the Bahamas. That was more like it and I found enough in it to stick with cruising. We’ve been back to the Bahamas several times and also cruised (as crew on another boat) in south and central America. Currently, our cruising platform is m/v Popeye, a 42 foot Tolleycraft.

I retired from a wonderful public service career in 2011. I live now in southern British Columbia, Canada with my partner Dwight on 5 acres of solid land with mountains, lakes and rivers nearby. Between us, we own 9 boats, including the canoe and kayaks. I have three children and two granddaughters.

I’ve just started blogging again: Karen Blogs Again.

More on this website

• Debbie Leisure learns to sail her boat single-handed: Learning to handle the boat alone after a husband’s death.
• All posts in “How we learn” : Women tell us how they have learned the skills they need to sail and cruise.
  
• “Learning to sail”: Women & Cruising resources
  
• What do women like most about sailing their boats? by Karen Bergman
  

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 ...Read more]]>

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

I spent last winter in Miami, Florida working and saving for my next big sail.

My goal was to sail to the Bahamas, spend some time exploring the sandy beaches and shallow banks, and then head north, offshore, bound for Martha’s Vineyard. I had summer plans for sailing on schooners in Maine and the Vineyard.

But having ...Read more]]>

I spent last winter in Miami, Florida working and saving for my next big sail.

My goal was to sail to the Bahamas, spend some time exploring the sandy beaches and shallow banks, and then head north, offshore, bound for Martha’s Vineyard. I had summer plans for sailing on schooners in Maine and the Vineyard.

But having a deadline is seldom a good idea when traveling under sail. Many things can delay a departure, and this winter I was met with one delay after another.

Finances at that time were a struggle for me. I had been taking transient jobs at various ports just to keep food on the table so I could keep sailing.

But when I was nearly ready to set sail again, my engine failed. When I tried to start it, black smoke poured from the tailpipe, a knocking sound came from the engine compartment, then a sputter, and finally silence.

Being the DIY kind of person that I am, I searched my reference books, owner’s manual, and even Google for a solution to the problem.

“Maybe it’s an injector problem,” I thought after reading as much as I could. So, I removed the injectors, cleaned and replaced them. Still the engine wasn’t working.

My boyfriend Ben was traveling with me in his own pocket cruiser and we both were eager to set sail again.

“Maybe it’s the fuel pump,” he suggested. So, together we removed the fuel pump and sent it in to be tested. Of course, the tests said it was fine.

Finally, I decided to contact a mechanic.

The first mechanic I had aboard Daphne never spoke to me. Instead, he directed all his questions to Ben and explained what was going on only to Ben. Even when Ben said, “Ask Teresa, it’s her boat.” or “Teresa knows better because she has been working on it,” he still spoke only to Ben. So, I decided not to continue working with him.

I called a second mechanic. When I spoke to Jim and explained the problem, sounds, and what tests I had done, I didn’t mention Ben’s name at all. Jim was polite, helpful, and spoke to me like I was knowledgeable and could understand him, which I could.

When Jim came aboard Daphne to test the compression, we both thought that it would test out fine. The engine was relatively new, had low hours, and looked great. If it tested fine, then we had to continue to explore what the problem could be. If the compression was poor despite the tests I had already done, then Jim said it would most likely be a bent connecting rod, which is a costly and extensive project to fix.

Unfortunately the compression in one cylinder was down by over fifteen percent.

Jim was leaving for vacation in just a few days and could not take on this project.

He suggested other mechanics and estimated that it would cost over $1,000 and I would have to remove the engine so they could work in their shop (since Daphne’s engine room is so small no one can fit in it and if they could, they would likely get seasick even at anchor!).

The news was upsetting. I felt like my entire plans and all that I had saved and worked for in the past few months were being taken from me. There had to be an alternative.

Lucky for me, I chose the right mechanic this time. Jim sensed my disappointment and offered an alternate plan. He suggested that I could order the parts I needed from him and he would coach me through the process of changing the connecting rod myself. And that he did! Even when Jim was on vacation, he still answered my phone calls when I needed clarification on the next step.

Soon I was calling him to say “I did it!”

Only $400 later, and a few extra days I was on my way to the Bahamas.

Ben and I both had a lot of fun with this project, and together, with Jim’s help we learned a lot about diesel engines and a lot about ourselves. I’m lucky to have a partner like Ben and to have found a mechanic like Jim.

Even though engines and mechanics seem to be a man’s world, both of them treated me like the capable woman that I am. In fact, on several occasions, I was more suited for the task! Being small, with little hands, I could fit in the engine room and manipulate little parts.

Ben was eager to learn about engines and would have done all the work himself if I had let him.

But because Daphne is my boat, and should anything happen when he wasn’t around, I needed to learn the skills too. And it’s a good thing that I did! Only days later, when I was alone and sailing Daphne across the Gulf Stream, I had to bleed the engine in the middle of the night in bucking seas!

For a few weeks, from the sound of the first engine knock, it was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. “How can I afford this? Will I ever get to the Bahamas, or home?” I thought.

But in the end, it was just as educator Kurt Hahn meant when he said, “Your disability is your opportunity.”

About Teresa Carey

Teresa Carey is a USCG Captain, Oceanography educator, and writer.

She has lived aboard many boats and has sailed coastal and offshore the entire coastal US, Bahamas, Caribbean, parts of Canada, St. Lawrence, and the Great Lakes. In 2008, she gave up the lubberly life and moved aboard Daphne, which she sailed solo for many years, chronicling her journey in her well-received blog “Sailing, Simplicity, and the Pursuit of Happiness” (www.sailingsimplicity.com).

Teresa is being honored for her inspired writing with an invitation to a TED conference, where she will be a featured speaker (www.tedxtraversecity.com).

This summer Teresa plans to team up with another sailor and a movie production company. This journey will take her north to the arctic where she will film an eco-documentary on icebergs and climate change called “One Simple Question” (www.simplequestionmovie.com).

Read also on this website

• How we learn: Women tell us how they have learned the skills they need to sail and cruise.
• The Engine Room (Admiral’s Angle column #22): What women need to know about their engine rooms and boat systems and why

More information (external links)

• Teresa Carey’s blog: “Sailing, Simplicity, and the Pursuit of Happiness” (www.sailingsimplicity.com)

What “opportunities” has sailing provided YOU?

Let us know.

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

Seven Seas University presents ….

This fairly technical webinar covers night vision, navigation aids and lights on shore, identifying ships, collision avoidance at night, night time deck ...Read more]]>

Concerned about sailing overnight? Learn how to navigate safely after dark and to stand night watch at sea.

Seven Seas University presents ….

Night Sailing webinar

• Date: Thursday March 10 at 8pm EST (7pm CST)
• Instructor: Nancy Erley
• Duration: 1.5 hours

This fairly technical webinar covers night vision, navigation aids and lights on shore, identifying ships, collision avoidance at night, night time deck safety protocols, watch scheduling and crew overboard. Just in case, for any number or reasons, the onboard electronic navigation tools fail, learning the lights will help you find your way. Knowledge can turn feelings of uncertainty into profound appreciation for the wonders of the night sea. 

Visit Seven Seas U to register today for Night Sailing!

About Nancy Erley

Nancy Erley led two voyages from Seattle around the world aboard her Orca 38 sailboat, Tethys. 

“As the skipper of an all-woman crew, Nancy fashioned a circumnavigation that should go down in the record books as one of the soundest, most seamanlike journeys in the modern cruising era. Like all competent voyages, Tethys circumnavigation was notable for its lack of disasters.” George Day, publisher Blue Water Sailing magazine. 

Founder of Tethys Offshore, Nancy teaches the skills to take a small boat across an ocean, from competent crew to ocean skipper. She holds her USCG 50-ton Master of Oceans and 100-ton Master Near Coastal licenses, is an Instructor Evaluator-Ocean for the International Sail and Power Association, a ham radio operator (ki7dp), and an advanced scuba diver and delivery skipper. 

In 2006 Nancy was presented with the Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award sponsored by BoatUS and the National Women’s Sailing Association. The award honors a male or female who has built a record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing. 

Nancy is now in the Pacific Northwest scheduling learning cruises for women aboard Tethys. She also offers private instruction aboard the learner’s boat for both men and women, ocean deliveries as captain or onboard advisor, and voyaging consultation. Her website is www.tethysoffshore.com 

 More information

• For more information on this webinar or to register, go to: Seven Seas U: Night Sailing webinar.
  Can’t make the webinar? You can also download it later.

Education for those long winter months – Seven Seas University Presents:

Happy Hooking – the Art of Anchoring

I have ...Read more]]> In April, Betsy Morris wrote about the division of boat jobs aboard Salsa (Boat jobs: Pink or Blue? Betsy Morris’ Confession). She wondered how other cruising couples divided up the jobs and whether they were happy with the result. Marcie Lynn commented here. Following is Meri Faulkner’s response.

I have considered myself ‘pink’ where the boat chore distribution is concerned, and my husband, Jim,‘blue’. I am responsible aboard Hotspur for much of what I was responsible for back home on land: grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, cleaning, bill paying, sewing, etc…

However, I got to thinking about your article and it dawned on me… not all my jobs are ‘pink’.

I think I might fall into the category of ‘violet’.

For example, you might call me the ship’s Communication Officer. This could be construed as ‘pink’ because it requires talking, but this job falls to me because I have decent Spanish speaking skills. We have been cruising Mexico since June 2008.

I also take charge of the radio communications and acquired the general license for the HAM radio. I often volunteer for net control positions when there is a need so that we, as well as other cruisers, get accurate and detailed weather reports for our area.

In addition to communication, you might call me the ship’s Medical Examiner. We have had sting ray wounds, scorpion welts, cuts and lacerations, rashes, fevers, and fungus. And just a few days ago, I assisted another cruiser in giving her son 6 stitches in a gaping wound on his foot. And no… I was not in the medical profession prior to cruising! But, boy… do I have experience now!

I have taken apart the Barient winches and cleaned, greased/oiled and put them back together.

I help clean the bottom of the boat, I sand, varnish, and paint.

And, I also clean the fish we catch.

Our children are aboard, as well… our son, Tim, is almost 15 and our daughter, Carolyne, is 10. It’s funny because we are raising them on the boat to be ‘violet’, too.

Since Tim is interested in both the workings of the engine and the galley, Jim and I have our son in charge of cleaning and maintaining the outboard engines and he occasionally cooks several very good dishes in the galley. He also helps with night watches when we have crossings.

Carolyne has less adult-like chores than Tim, but she is responsible for helping with laundry, provisioning, proper trash disposal, feeding the pets aboard, cleaning the bottom of the boat when it grows grass, polishing the stainless, etc…

Have I ever changed the oil… never.

I’m afraid if I do, that will be one of my ‘violet’ jobs, too!

About Meri Faulkner

I live on a 41′ Tartan TOCK we call Hotspur and my family and I have been cruising Mexico since since we left Colorado in June 2008.

I love cruising so much that my husband and I are committed to doing it as long as we can. We plan to spend another summer in the Sea of Cortez, which we love, and after hurricane season we aspire to head to El Salvador for the beginning of our Central American tour.

Our two swabs and children, Tim (14), and daughter, Carolyne (10), are aboard, too! Other scallywags include our 13 year old pound-puppy, Bailey, and Bad Kitty, our Mazatlan stray cat.

Come visit Hotspur and follow our family cruising adventures at www.expaticus.com.

Read also on this website

• Boat jobs: Pink or Blue? Marcie Lynn comments
• Boat jobs: Pink or Blue? Betsy Morris’s confession
• The Need to Know: Sheri Schneider is on her own in the Pacific after her husband is evacuated (Admiral’s Angle column #17)
• Joint Effort (Admiral’s Angle column #5)

How do you divvy up the boat chores?
Does it fall along pink and blue lines?
Let us know.
Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.