linda collison's Sea of Words
charting a course from imagination to publication
Short jacket and white trousers this young girl she put on
And like a gallant seaman bold went roving through the town.
She did sign on with our Captain Blare a sailor for to be
And it was to seek her own true love all on the raging sea…
Ballads and stories about girls who dressed as boys and went to sea are part of our maritime culture, and are based on fact. Hannah Snell, Mary Anne Talbot, Mary Lacy, and Jeanne Baret, are some of the more well-known 18th century women who were successful in their shipboard masquerades. We’ll never know how many women actually chose this way of life because we only hear about those who were found out — usually due to injury or punishment in the line of duty!
How many women during the age of sail do I think dressed as boys or men and went to sea? (Or, as in the case of Mary Lacey, became a shipwright, “to whom the Government granted a superannuated pension of twenty pounds per annum, during her life.”) Perhaps not a very great number — but I’ll bet there were quite a few more than have been noted in the official records.
As Samuel Johnson said, “Being in a ship is being in prison, with the chance of being drowned.” So, why on earth would a woman put herself in such an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation? For love? Perhaps, but methinks more joined up for the the steady paycheck (though in a-rears), the lodging, the hammock, the three square meals and the chance for prize the navy offered. Though a sailor’s life was hard and dangerous, so were the workhouses, the prisons and the waterfronts where the girls who had resorted to prostitution plied their trade. If a young maid was in search of love, it was probably because her missing beau had been pressed into service and she had not heard from him, nor had she received any support from him!
Another reason may have been for the adventure and opportunity a ship offers. I fell for that one myself… But then, I confess, I have an ongoing shipboard romance with a sailor named Bob, who happens to be my husband. And come to think of it, Bob is the one who introduced me to sailing. But that’s another story!
I thank Gavin Atkin for including this ballad sung by A.J.Lloyd on his blog, where I discovered it.
It’s that time of year when a young woman’s heart turns to the sea…
Taking a break from all my reading about the lives of the women at sea during the age of sail, it’s like a breath of fresh air to return to the 21st century where young women can be found alow, aloft, at the navigation station and at the helm of ships everywhere — and aboard one American tall ship in particular.
The schooner Unicorn, owned by Dawn and her husband Jay Santamaria, is the only all-female crewed tall ship in the world. Together with their four daughters — Brynn, Chelsea, Courtney and Samantha — the Santamarias promote traditional tall ship sail training and the preservation of maritime history through executive training programs, festivals and community youth involvement programs.
In 2005 Dawn founded Sisters Under Sail, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to build confedence, enhance self-esteem, develop social conscience and teach the value of working together through sail training. Aboard the 118-ft. topsail schooner Unicorn, plying New England and Great Lakes waters, the young women learn to work together to sail a traditional ship and have the adventure of a lifetime, I’m certain! As founder and executive director of Sisters Under Sail, Dawn was awarded the 2011 Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award at the USA’s 10th Women’s Sailing Conference last summer. The award is sponsored by BoatUS and the National Women’s Sailing Association — see article.
Santamaria’s unique sailing program has put aboard nearly 200 women and 400 teenage girls; nearly half of the teens were able to take part through the generosity of sponsors. To find out how to sponsor a teen in 2012 check out SistersUnderSail.org
To read about the Sisters at the 2010 Tall Ships Chicago festival see Rick Spillan’s Old Salt Blog’s post
This year teenaged daughters of deployed U.S. Military service members are invited to sail aboard Unicorn to honor their parents as part of the bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812. See The Fyddye Guides Fri. Jul 1, 2011.
“This ain’t no cruise sister, it’s the adventure of a lifetime!”
Oh, to be young again…
True Spirit: The True Story of a 16-Year-Old Australian Who Sailed Solo, Nonstop, and Unassisted Around the World
New Year’s Eve, 2009.
“…I was just starting to think the wind was dying down and I was sitting at the nav table feeling calm and smug that we’d ridden it out so beautifully when out of nowhere we took a really big wave. Water poured in from the vent right above me (which was closed), and I was covered in ice-cold water. The nav table isn’t a great place to dump a whole lot of water, but after a few shrieks I checked it all out and everything was okay. The wind picked up and was sitting between 36 and 44 knots as the waves started to build again…Finally the wind calmed right down to more like 20 to 25 knots, and after what felt like a few very long days I was pretty exhausted. I managed about three hours’ sleep over twenty-four hours, and knew I had to watch myself. I made a list of things to do…” (Jessica Watson, from her first book)
It’s New Year’s Eve 2011 and I’m reading True Spirit by Jessica Watson, the memoir of the 16-year-old sailor who recently circumnavigated solo in Ella’s Pink Lady, a Sparkman and Stephens 34 sloop. (Take a virtual YouTube tour of Ella’s Pink Lady) I am decidedly “on board” with her in spirit as she tweaks sails, charts her position, chats with mum and dad on the radio, bakes chocolate cupcakes, sings karaoke with the dolphins for an audience, reluctantly does her school assignments, makes repairs underway, tackles big swells, is occasionally becalmed and was once, at the beginning, run over by a freighter!
In reading her narrative Jessica’s single-mindedness and determination is very apparent. Ah, immortal, resilient youth! As a sailor I can relate to her experiences, some of which remind me of my adventures with Bob on Topaz. …”Life on board is really pretty simple with all the little things filling up the day, but when the sea is up, even the simplest task becomes an adventure,” says Jessica, (reminding me of my own attempts to make pancakes while Bob had the helm, beating into a large Pacific sea, somewhere southeast of Hawaii…)
Jessica was inspired by the adventures of young people who circumnavigated before and wrote of their adventures in books of their own. (And aren’t we all inspired by books?)
…”After all the usual chores, I spent the morning catching up on a few emails and reading. I’ve been rereading Kay Cottee’s book about her nonstop trip around the world and of course Jesse Martin’s Lionheart. I love comparing my trip so far with their voyages…Over the years I’d read and reread these two books contantly, and as my own voyage slowly came together I began to understand many of the things that Jesse and Kay wrote about in a whole new way…”
Sailors today have more gadgets at their disposal, to help them navigate, communicate, and to assist in rescue. Still, when you are sailing a boat you are essentially alone. Knowing where you are is a good thing but you still need to get to where you want to go, and safely.
….”The only thing that had the ultimate power in my new world was the weather. I was a slave to that, and though it was something I struggled with at times, ultimately it was why I was there. I wanted to be pushed to the limit and have to find the strength and the knowledge within myself to get through the bad times. If it was all smooth sailing, I wouldn’t be doing that.”
This pretty much sums up why she is doing it. And who can deny that challenge is what makes life worth living? It is how we mature, by taking on challenges. We are at our best when challenged.
“… All right, I’m going to sign off because I’m off to do something brave, daring, and possibly a little reckless. I’m going to open the bag labeled “Schoolwork.” Okay, so maybe I’m being a bit of a drama queen, but wish me luck on this one!”
Ah, she is a teenager, a very human being after all…
See Jessica’s homecoming on YouTube.
I’m still reading Watson’s True Spirit, on boat time (slow time), I’m in no particular hurry to finish it. For me, that is the mark of a good book. If I skim it, I’m not in love with it, it’s a one night stand. My favorite books remain on my night stand for months on end. But Jessica, who is now 18 years old, isn’t resting on her laurels.
UPDATE
December 30, 2011: Skipper Jessica Watson’s team of young sailors – the youngest crew ever to compete in the famed Sydney-Hobart race — finished second in their class, the Sydney 38 division, aboard Ella Bache. I’m delighted that the teen circumnavigator has not retired from the sea after her accomplishment, but has found a new dimension for her drive and competitive spirit. Read about it on this link
On the last night of 2011 my thoughts and dreams are with the youth, for they are the future.
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