Only a small percentage of people working in the marine industry in BC are women. The same is true for pleasure boaters. A quick perusal of Facebook sailing groups confirms the vast majority of pleasure boaters are men.
Despite these numbers, a lot of women—including many over 55—are out there on boats all over the province and the world. Some live aboard, some race, and some prefer daysailing.
Barbra King, 62, owns a 42-foot sailboat named Trinity III. “By the time you’ve reached this age,” she says, “you’ve weathered many storms already and gotten through them. Sailing is no different, except the experience is more rewarding. Doing things that you would never normally do at this point in life shows how resilient and powerful we are.”
Barbra lives aboard full-time with her husband. They plan to sail off to Mexico one day and even cross an ocean. But for now, they are happy sailing around the Gulf Islands. This is a popular and accessible sailing area in the province, a favourite among many sailors.
With its beautiful mountain vistas and several natural anchorages, Desolation Sound is another well-loved destination. The sailors I spoke to, choose where they go based on what they want to do while sailing.
Marg Crandell, 57, loves both Desolation Sound and the central coast for different reasons.
“Both provide unsurpassed beauty,” she says, “with the central coast offering more solitude and abundant fishing, and Desolation Sound offering warmer temperatures for relaxing and swimming.”
She has been sailing for four decades. It was her husband who introduced her to it, but she took to the life immediately. “My husband lived aboard his parents’ Formosa 50 and sailed offshore with them for one year. I started sailing when I met him and somehow, even though I had not been exposed to sailing before, felt that it had always been in my blood.”
Marg and her husband lived aboard their Tayana 48 for two years. They home-schooled their daughters while travelling the world.
“Any concerns about not having friends or community were soon dashed as we met up with other cruisers planning the same route as us,” Marg says. “Once we reached French Polynesia, we found ourselves well connected with other boats with kids and we just moved together with our community from island to island.”
Not all of these women go so far afield. When Heather Kolankowski, now 57, lived aboard with her husband and two dogs, they stayed in BC. In winter they lived in port in Haida Gwaii and in the summer they went exploring.
There are challenges to sailing once you reach a certain age. Karen Munro, 58, a solo sailor from Bowen Island, says, “It’s hard, physically, day after day doing it on your own. Especially if you have bad knees.”
Heather says it requires a lot of patience. Marg, on the other hand, feels a pull to be closer to family as she gets older. “I don’t like to let my age stand in the way of adventure,” she says. “However, I love being connected to my family, and now that there are grandchildren, I feel torn between being a part of their regular lives and sailing away into the sunset.”
But the rewards of sailing can be amazing. From swimming with humpback whales to winning first place in a regatta, sailing has given these women moments of intense joy. It has also presented opportunities to discover how strong and resilient they are. When the wind comes up suddenly or an anchor gets stuck on a rock, a sailor has to find a solution fast.
It’s true that boating is still male-dominated. But more and more women are finding their way onto boats, some as captain of their own craft, others as the “admiral” to their husband’s “captain,” or as a crewmember among friends.
Initiatives like SeaLight and Women Who Sail are helping women find their sea legs. They also support those who are already boaters.
SeaLight was created by former BC Ferries captain Kamila Calko and focuses on women working in the marine industry. As befits the sailing community, Women Who Sail has a global presence. Their Facebook group “WWS – Canada” includes many older women who race, live aboard, crew, or enjoy a gentle outing on a calm day. There’s no WWS group specifically for women in BC, but a general group is “BC Cruising, Sailing And Liveaboard”. This group has over 12,000 members of all ages and genders. Sailing really can be for everyone. It offers a range of intensity levels, from lunch in the bay to transatlantic navigation. All over British Columbia, sailor women are spending their days out on the water. Are you among them?
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