You Sail Your Boat Alone????????

[deniseO30]

Is that the question you get from your girlfriends, mothers, sisters or other females? Do you hate it when they get an incredulous look on their face when you tell them? Like you just committed the ultimate sin? Or you need lots of therapy?

Funny, I tend to forget there was a time when women were NEVER alone in anyway for anything. What seems so natural now, was once upon a time was social tabu! My Mom was that way.. she never went anywhere alone. Not even 1/2 a block to the corner store. Sad, so sad, but then, that was the way back then, wasn't it? (enter Ozzie and Harriet)

My next door neighbor is that way somewhat. Oh, she goes out alone, the post office, the market, etc, but not for long or very far. One time I mentioned that I go to the Opera on occasion. "Oh I don't think I could go with you Denise I'd be scared!" To go to opera??? HUH? (fear of the highway, the city, the walk to the opera house, too far, too dark are just a few of her reasons) I could go on for hours about this topic But I'll leave it here. Besides! I just had say something on this, our forum!

[teshannon]

Well put Denise, good for you.

[mccary]

Dinese, I don't think that reaction is limited to just women. I sail alone about 1/3 of the time. I get wierd looks from my male friends when I mention this.

[deniseO30]

Hmm Joe.. wouldn't expect that.

[teshannon]

When I sail my boat alone I get wieid looks from my family.

[sailingdog]

My family doesn't sail...so I sail solo a lot. Nothing wrong with that... good for when you're out with non-sailing guests too.

[zz4gta]

(<---male) I rented a flying scot in NC by myself and it generated a lot of looks from the other 'renters' who were all in pairs on scots or cats. Its strange how some people react to it. My family doesn't like it, and they all think I'm going to die. But atleast I'll be doing something I like.

Nothing wrong w/ going solo. Good for you.

[Giulietta]

Denise...where I come from women do not get surprized faces when they sail alone...hundreds of women here sail alone, so i don't get surprized you do, its normal here.

Here pretty much everyone knows how to and/or has sailed alone. Including women.

My son at 7 sailed alone, and still does...

I also sailed alone all my life, more than 34 years this year. In fact just got back from my 24 mile stroll to the outer marker that is 12 miles from my marina.

My record doing the 12 miles out, round the bouy and back alone, off course is 1 hour 55 minutes go and return.

I showed Tom and Val the marker... I have been doing it for over 10 years (since they built my marina in cascais). The slowest was 5 hours and 21 minutes.

[Valiente]

I have learned more about sailing alone than with others. I take the new steel cutter out alone, but to be truthful, less often than I did the 33 footer, because I have yet to install a second throttle-shifter that would allow me to handle the docking lines in a timely fashion...so I have to pick times when I will be blown ON to my dock, not off, as is the usual case.

But I've learned a lot about docking a bigger, higher freeboard boat when you can't see the dock!

Ignore the nay-sayers. Solo sailing is great, because it is so much better than no sailing at all.

[sailhog]

Originally Posted by Valiente

Ignore the nay-sayers. Solo sailing is great, because it is so much better than no sailing at all.

You're singing my song. In the past I was always asking people if they'd like to go out, but by doing this I was inheriting their schedule. Here on HHI, you've got tides to consider, along with the usual winds and now darkness. So these days I tell people when I'll be leaving the dock, and that I'd love it if they could to join me. I'm like a nazi anymore -- don't complain, don't explain.