The Art of Teaching your Girlfriend to Love sailing too (I)

 

Will her first sailing trip turn out to be a great experience? – It partly depends on you.

In his book Sea Gipsy (1966), after crossing Biscay in heavy seas, Peter Tangvalds wife has had enough of it, and gives him an ultimatum; – the boat or me! But probably Peter already was weary of his frightened and grumpy (?) wife, and he states what every sailor knows; finding a new wife is far easier than finding a new boat. So, in the nearest port, he buys her a one-way ticket home. The fact that the same Mr. Tangvald – during his lifetime – got married no less then seven times but owned just two or three boats, proves this to be true I guess – at least for him. Though later in his life Tangvald becomes a more solemn (but maybe less ingenious) writer, and he considers himself to be a caring husband. He seems to have learned a lesson or two, maybe something like this: If a man really happens to love his girlfriend or wife, he still risk loosing her far easier then his boat, and for some odd reason it is difficult to buy or built a new wife, same label, same love. Some men think a more modern Mark II will be available at least, but sad to say, like in the yacht business, a Mark II partner still in stock, often appears to have some basic faults. What complicates this whole business is the fact that a man might risk loosing his partner precisely because of his beloved boat. In his mind his boat is a sort of lady, and he knows precisely how to care for her. His wife on the other hand…?

So, in this and possibly other postings, I am bold enough to touch upon a well known challenge, but I warn you in advance: The whole mess is seen strictly from a male point of view without any significant sidelong glance concerning post-modern-hard-core feminism. In spite of this, I hold sailing women to be first-rate, so if your partner, wife or girlfriend already loves sailing, happy you are. That is; if you don’t hate it yourself. If so, this text is for your frisky partner too. The best advice I can give the yacht-resisting husband is: Don’t fall over board! I guess your sailor-girl is fully capable of hauling you up – but I’m not sure she will. In the opposite case, if your girlfriend likes your belly but not your stupid boat; yes I know it's hard, but at least it's worth a try: Let her dreams come true – aboard.