Women Take the Tiller
The Half Moon Bay Yacht Club Women’s Sailing Program hosted its second Take the Tiller Workshop on June 3 to resounding acclaim.
The day began with an inspiring video about the Magenta Project, the offshoot of Team SCA, the only all-female team in the 2014-15 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, the world’s longest and most grueling yacht race.
Next up was a dynamic improv session with Ann Swanberg of LifePlays Improv & Team Building. Through a series of fun and enlightening group exercises, we learned the power of presence and awareness, of others and ourselves. We learned to trust our compass (aka our body and instincts) and to make sure our skipper (aka our mind) is clear and supportive and so much more. Many attendees said it was their favorite part of the workshop.
“The improv taught me not to be afraid to make mistakes, which is a good mindset not just for sailing but for life in general. Learning to lose your inhibitions, just to try,” said Half Moon Bay’s Laura Gill.
It was time hit the water for a series of challenges: docking under sail power, ‘Zen’ sailing (sailing with eyes closed), crew-overboard drills, tie-the-knot exercises (circling a boat by only tacking or jibing), reefing while underway, and racing.
The Zen sailing exercise was extremely popular. “You truly feel with all the other senses. You hear the waves on the boat, feel the wind on your skin, the sun on your face, the heel of the boat, and the pull of the tiller. It’s 360° awareness. And you learn to trust your partner for instructions,” said Cat Reining of San Francisco.
After a series of short races, which proved particularly challenging due to shifty winds clocking as much as 45°, it was time for the cocktail reception and keynote talk by Margie Woods, the sole female skipper in the Singlehanded Sailing Society’s 2016 Singlehanded TransPac.
Woods explained why she prefers to sail solo. “It brings me peace and into the present moment. It brings me into myself, which is a very important thing, for myself, for everyone.”
It was both inspiring and moving to have a peek into her personal journey of discovery. Her talent for imagery transported us along. “Bobbing around in a tiny 34-ft sailboat, looking out in awe and knowing that land is 1,000 miles in front of you and 1,000 miles behind you…” It was like we were right there with her.
“This second Take the Tiller was a huge success. I loved the way Ann Swanberg’s improv session stressed being present and trusting yourself and the process, and how Margie Woods ended the program with the same emphasis on being fully herself — present and trusting — during her race. I was impressed with the energy of the women coming off the water and how much the learning and new confidence showed in their whole beings,” said Martha Huddle, chair of Take the Tiller and Women’s Sailing at HMBYC.
Indeed, there is magic happening here. “I’m so empowered. I can walk out there and rig [a Cal 20], and it’s so fun I don’t know why we come in,” said Linda Galindo of Half Moon Bay. “I can take my daughters out sailing and they will see a different woman.”