On the 12th and 14th of May, Sweden’s She Captain sailing network for women chose our base in Stockholm to hone their skills. This network with 3,700 members was founded by Anna Mourou.
Helping women sailors grow confidence
She Captain helps women develop their ability to become more confident at sea. One of the biggest challenges is for women in being more independent out on the sea is the actual docking of the boat. Many of its members have often been sailing with their partners for years but lack the confidence to park the boat and hand over the helm instead. She Captain wants to change that and make women feel free at sea so they can easily handle the boat.
We helped She Captain organize maneuvering events for 25 women under the guidance of the network’s more experienced members, as part of #MoreWomenatSea. Together they practiced how the propeller affects outcomes and started practicing with a buoy and then bow and stern to dock.
How to dock a Dufour 460 without bow thrusters
The women got to practice with a Dufour 460 and a Dufour 38. On arrival at the dock, the 460 might have looked big and intimidating but when they got to practice with it, they realized that both boats are quite easy to maneuver. They were not allowed to use bow thrusters during practice but they did get to try them out to see how they can be used.
For many of the women participating in this maneuver event, it was also a good rehearsal before joining the upcoming She Captain flotilla from Trogir, Croatia, at the end of May.
When practice makes perfect
She Captain has received many positive comments about this event and member Carin Renger, said: “I docked my own yacht and my husband was so impressed and said he had never docked stern in first as neatly as I did! I have the She Captain maneuvering practice to thank for managing it so well.”
This summer in Sweden, we will definitely have more women at sea docking their boats expertly and we look forward to hearing how She Captain gets on in Trogir!
If you are in need of some sailing vacation inspiration, just head on over to our blog. If you need advice on sailing vacations, you can get in touch with our team on 1-866-469-0912 or email [email protected].
