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It’s been a while, but we are finally when on sharing incredible stories of solo sexuality travelers from various backgrounds to inspire you to take that plunge to start traveling alone! Say hi to Nicole, our in-house writer, and a mettlesome solo sailer:
Tell us well-nigh yourself!
I was born in Naples, Florida. When I was four years old, I hopped onto a sailboat with my family and started “cruising.” Until I was eight, we sailed to Maine and in the Bahamas. Considering I was so young, sailing and cruising seemed like the normal thing to do. When we moved to North Carolina, I had a really nonflexible time transitioning to land life. Eight-hour days inside a classroom was a stark unrelatedness to spearfishing off the reefs and reading the weather off the water. But, I unfurled to sail small boats like optis, sunfish, lasers, FJ’s, 420s, and PHRF keelboats like a Moore, a Merit, and an Etchel. I raced up through higher with an empty heart considering racing is very variegated from cruising. You only go virtually the buoys.
I wanted to go to new lands. In upper school, I started traveling on my own and went to Costa Rica. In higher I visited Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and Poland. Without higher I dabbled with homesteading on several farms, but sooner found my way when to the sea. It took me several tries, but finally I bought my third wend (the S/V Arta, a 1968 Columbia 26) and kept it, embarking on a journey of my own. I worked on the wend in Fort Pierce, FL for ten months and then sailed to Key West and over to the Bahamas. I hit the Jumentos and Ragged Islands surpassing crossing over to Turks and Caicos and then holed up in the Dominican Republic for Hurricane Season. I’ve now bought a 1981 Bristol Channel Cutter and am picking yonder at wend projects, hoping to set sail next fall.
What motivated you to solo sail for the first time?
Before I bought Arta, I was living on a wend in my parents’ backyard. A young man sailed into my town on his Cheoy Lee 30, and the same day he asked me to crew, I bought a Cape Dory 25. A few months later I’d sold it and set sail with him. Throughout our 10-month adventure, I learned a lot well-nigh my own capabilities and judgments. When it became unveiled that we were whence to hold each other back, I knew in my heart that I had to and could set sail alone.
Though I’ve raced solo many times, I consider my recent journey on Arta to be my first solo sailing experience. This might come wideness as visionless and depressing, but I had a tremendously difficult life without my upbringing on the boat. I knew that if I wanted to alimony living, I needed to set sail and I needed to go alone. The only thing holding me when was my weighing in myself, and my level of confidence. Once I had earned that, there was nothing keeping me from the sea.
What are your most memorable solo sailing memories?
Island-hopping in the Bahamas with the rare occurrence of a working autopilot!
This question has me teary-eyed. When you’re sailing alone, there’s really nobody to share the experiences with, so the memories just settled in my heart. I have to unravel the memories up into categories:
Scary memory: getting stuck in the Gulf Stream with an impending North wind and my motor wouldn’t turn on
Proud memory: hand-steering from Turks and Caicos to the Dominican Republic
Happy memory: seeing the Bahamas scrutinizingly two decades later
Sad memory: none actually, though my saddest thoughts were that one day I’d no longer be a solo sailor
Annoying memory: having to hand-steer when my autopilot quit working and the wend wouldn’t balance, and all I wanted to do was relax on deck while the wend sailed herself
Exciting memory: successfully riding out two category one hurricanes
Peaceful memory: sitting when on long day and night sails and watching the uncounted water splash by
Which misconceptions did you have well-nigh solo sailing that you now realize were untrue?
Pulling into the Dominican Republic on S/V Arta (1968 Columbia 26) without 18 hours at the helm.
Misconception: there are lots of bad storms and bad weather, and I would surely die.
Truth: the ocean is a living stuff with moods, and all I had to do was learn how to read it.
Misconception: sailing is nonflexible and you have to know what you’re doing surpassing you go
Truth: so much of sailing is not well-nigh the sailing. It’s well-nigh the worthiness to think on your feet and come up with creative solutions. Sailing is not hard. It’s just unpredictable. Plane if you haven’t exercised the “critical thinking” muscle in a while, a few days on the water will have you when in shape. You just need to have a deep respect for and trust in Mother Nature.
Misconception: something would unravel and I wouldn’t have unbearable stovepipe to tenancy the wend and make repairs.
Truth: the universe has never thrown me something I couldn’t handle. As my skills and capabilities grew, I came to squatter increasingly challenges. I soon saw that my skills and capabilities unfurled to grow. I had begun doing the things I thought I could never do.
Misconception: I had to be worldly-wise to do everything myself considering there would be nobody to help me.
Truth: though I’m a solo sailor, I was scrutinizingly unchangingly with flipside boat. I would help them and they would help me. I found a family and polity that began to fill big holes in my heart.
Misconception: it’s safer to sail with somebody
Truth: there is a false sense of security in sailing with somebody else, and that can forfeit you your life. For example, if you fall overboard, your chances of stuff rescued are very slim, plane if your mate has had vision on you the unshortened time. Besides, every wend needs to be set up for solo sailing. You have to be worldly-wise to handle the wend by yourself in specimen something happens to your mate. You will be responsible not only for yourself and the boat, but moreover an injured person.
What are your biggest translating for women who are interested in solo sailing?
Decide if you want to do it. Once you decide, you’ll make it happen. The path you take to get there might not be what you expect, but remember to let go of your expectations and reach for your goals. There is nothing you can’t do, and so many inspiring women have washed-up things that plane men have not (for example: Lisa Blair, Jessica Watson, Kirsten Neuschafer). There are plenty of resources out there (including my blog and YouTube channel) where you can find information and inspiration. And once you decide that you want to do it, you just have to go with the flow. You have nothing to fear.