Rise of the Girl Boat
GUEST BLOGGER… Youth Sailing Coach, Jaime Becktel
It was once believed that the presence of women aboard a ship would anger the sea gods and cause rough waves and violent weather. Superstitious sailors might still believe that antiquated hogwash, but lucky for us 21st century ladies, we can now sail to our hearts content! I grew up sailing on my grandfather’s 26’ Catalina out of Dana Point Harbor in California, but I never officially “learned” to sail. I was a passenger, and although I spent hours and hours aboard, no one thought to teach me anything, and I never thought to ask. I was a little girl growing up in the 80’s, and sailing is what my grandfather, father, and uncles did. None of the women in my family learned the sport, but I LOVED being on the water - flying around under sail, powered by the wind and heeled over into the salt spray. When my grandfather passed away when I was in high school, I stole the key to his boat and would sneak down to the marina to do my homework inside the cabin, or to read on the deck in the sun, and sometimes I would spend the night in the berth - falling asleep to the clanging of hardware and the creaking of boats. My secret haven aboard my grandfather’s boat didn’t last long, but the memories of being aboard never left me.
Over 20 years later and landlocked in southwestern Colorado, for some reason I felt the call of the sea and had a strong desire to revisit this part of my youth. I reached out to Katie James at Peaks and Tides and got ASA 101 certified on Lake Nighthorse and Navajo Lake. It was an absolute blast! Two girlfriends joined me, and the three of us had such a great weekend learning the language of sailing while honing new skills that will carry us into future adventures aboard. Katie calls these crews “Girl Boats” when she teaches all-female groups, and they are extremely fun, supportive, and empowering spaces. On these boats there’s a lot of laughter, a lot of sharing, a lot of inspiration, and a lot of stoke.
This is my second summer working for Katie as a Youth Sailing Coach, and to say that I’m hooked feels like a definite understatement. My ASA 103 is on the horizon, I’m interested in becoming an Adaptive Sailing Instructor, and I’m exploring the possibility of crewing a trans-Atlantic passage next summer - a dream that I’ve had my entire life. Every week at sail camp I marvel at the young female sailors on the Junior Sailing Crew and Race Team. I’m so inspired by how they carry themselves as leaders; their confidence and how skilled they are under sail. I wish that my girl self would have had access to a female mentor like Katie James. She’s an excellent coach - firm, kind, highly skilled, and she inspires easy respect. The little girls attending sail camp often begin the week shy and lacking confidence. By the end of camp, however, they’re ripping around the lake, solo sailing, laughing, schooling the boys, and they’ve learned an incredibly empowering new language and skill. They are tested and get to see what they’re made of, all while being supported by strong female mentors.
Every woman I meet, I tell them, “You should learn to sail! Get a group of girlfriends together and get certified!” Every parent I cross paths with, I say, “Get your daughter in sail camp! She’ll love it, and it will skyrocket her self-confidence and self-awareness.” As a middle school special education teacher, I look forward to finding ways of connecting my students to this wonderful experience, because there really is nothing like flying across a body of water while harnessing the power of the wind. It’s pure magic. So if you’re looking for something fun and empowering to do with a group of girlfriends… learn to sail. Grab your sister, your mom, your daughter, your neighbor, wife, girlfriend, aunt, niece, best friend, or just join a “Girl Boat” and make some new friends. Treat yourself to this incredibly rewarding experience. You will not regret it!
