“She watched the gap between ship and shore grow to a huge gulf. Perhaps this was a little like dying, the departed no longer visible to the others, yet both still existed, only in different worlds.”
― Susan Wiggs, The Charm School
I just want to say a heart felt thank you for yesterday. I know that many of you took a risk coming out with people that you barely knew, and some of you doing jobs that you have not done for a long time, if ever.
All I keep thinking as I was resting on the floor of the shower, having the warm water on me, is if we never took any risks life would never be full off opportunities like yesterday.
As a woman, I have spent allot of time on boats, growing up with my dad as a single father, and an ocean racer, I was dragged from one race to another.
After I had my children, I stopped sailing for a long time, and now in the last 6 years getting back onto the ocean with a new conviction.
One of the main issues that I have felt and it is not a criticism, is that as a woman, you are often the putty filler on a boat, you are put in amongst the "gun crew" and are there to make weight or fill a spot , yet not often on a permanent basis. And if you are on a boat, there is not a lot of room to be trained into a position properly.
I would love to be with a group of women, where we spend time exploring various roles and jobs on a yacht, learning boat handling, speed building, and working together as a team in support of each other.
Yesterday, watching the courage and the tenacity of Michelle on the Helm, and the work of every woman on that boat, my heart burst open.
I was inspired and committed to training, even if we don't all sail together on a regular basis, yet as Michelle has constantly said to me, her mission is to empower women on the water. And that mission was seen in every minute of the day yesterday.
I got home last night, after calibre"s virgin voyage, with an all women's crew, and all I could do was smile, and hug my daughter.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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