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It’s
Your Boat Too:
A Woman’s Guide to Greater Enjoyment on
the Water
by Suzanne Giesemann
 At
the recent boat show in Minneapolis, I noticed
a seminar by Suzanne Giesemann titled, “It’s
Your Boat Too.” I looked at the sign and
said to my husband, “I should go to that.”He
responded, “I’ll go with you.”
And we did.
I am new to sailing
and getting a woman’s perspective was very
appealing to me. I love the water. We have a runabout,
jet skis and the usual lake toys…on a small
1,000 acre lake…with land in sight everywhere
and nary a current or tide. I come from the “Jaws”
and “Poseidon Adventure” era that
has probably ruined the ocean experience for many
Midwesterners of my generation. And yet, I love
the ocean. It is beautiful…to look at. I
love to scuba dive…on a clear and calm day.
So with all of this water experience, why am I
so intimidated by sailing and why does my husband
live, eat, and breathe sailing? Suzanne Giesemann
has the answers. Her brief seminar was full of
the nuts and bolts of women and boating. She regaled
us with funny stories and a realistic perspective
of how women and men differ when it comes to sailing.
I wanted to know more and bought her book.
Ms. Giesemann states
that sailing is about freedom and should be a
source of stress relief from our daily lives.
Sailing is fun, but it is also challenging. Women
are worriers, we are caretakers, and she states
that preparation is key to our comfort and confidence
level. She asks women to identify the source of
our concerns in order to set ourselves up for
success. She advises us to get as much experience
and education as possible. After all, she counsels
us that there is increased safety by our participation.
And she goes on to tell of women that were mere
passengers on their own boats and hence helpless
to act when something happened. Ms. Giesemann’s
book gives us the psychological tools and the
basic tangible tools for success. She has a chapter
on attitude…do we view sailing as an ordeal
or an adventure? Are we passive or active? Are
we ninnies or self-confident? She urges us to
practice “what if” scenarios and prepare
a risk analysis We have to realize that things
go wrong, it is the nature of boats, but we also
have the ability to be proactive to control our
environment. Besides the many psychological tools,
there are chapters on terminology, rules of the
road, navigation, VHF radios, lines, knots, boat
handling, docking, advice on communicating with
our spouse, and so on. It can seem overwhelming,
but Ms. Giesemann stresses practice and application.
She readily admits that there is a lot to learn,
but this book is truly about “A Woman’s
Guide to Greater Enjoyment on the Water.”
Her book has checklists and additional recommended
reading.
“It’s
Your Boat Too,” is a must read for all women
out there that are reticent about sailing and
want to become more confident. Ms. Giesemann’s
credentials and experiences are impressive. She
wants women to become competent, comfortable and
happy sailors. After all, she says, “why
should men have all the fun?”
Publisher:
Paradise Cay
Publications, Inc.
Arcata, California
Copyright 2006
Andrea Lee has
recently taken up sailing after being a lifelong
powerboat fanatic. She is ASA certified through
the Northern Breezes Sailing School on Basic Keelboat,
Bareboat Chartering and Coastal Cruising...with
more classes to come.
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