February 2019
SOUTH PACIFIC TONGA, VANUATU NEW CALEDONIA, NEW ZEALAND Kayaking in the Gulf of Carpentaria
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COVER: Dave May on board High Voltage in the Karori Rip, Cook Strait, NZ. Dave is co-owner of Swallows and Amazons— a Young 88, and has been sailing forever in Lyttelton Harbour (Viki Moore).
Contents Features
Lockers
7
Vava’u
3
Page 3 Girls
12
Ambrym Magic
4
The Bowsprit: Editorial
16
The Two of Us
5
Message in a Bottle: Letters
25
Gourmet Guide to Noumea
20
My Galley Rules: Pacific Islands
29
The Marlborough Sounds, NZ
57
Flat Bottomed Girl: Barge Boats
36
Yoga: Australia-Bound and my Constant Life Support
74
Art Feature: Linda Frylink Anderson
41
South West Pacific
76
Shero: Stephanie Burgess
ChardonNay, Kayak Circumnavigation
77
Pearls of Wisdom: DYI Boat Cards
46 53
Solo the Wrong Way Around the World: 2
78
Watercolours: Photos
Ceiba: Wooden Boat Build
80
Book Club
62 68
Woman, Take the Helm!
81
Service Directory
72
NYE Sydney harbour: Photo Essay
Brogo, NSW 2550, Australia.
©copyright 2018. SisterShip Press Pty. Ltd. Original editorial and advertisements in this magazine are copyright and exclusive property of SisterShip Press Pty. Ltd. Reprinting of any material in whole or part requires the written permission of the publisher. Comments and opinions expressed within this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or editors.
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SisterShip Magazine is a participant in the
Published by: SisterShip Press Pty Ltd. ACN 623079587
ABN 46623079587
Editors: Jackie Parry and Shelley Wright Postal Address: 59 Bellemount Lane,
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Email: editor@sistershipmagazine.com
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Page 3 girls! Celebrating real women on the water Send your ‘Page 3’ photos to editor@sistershipmagazine.com
LEFT: DEBORAH HUNTER at the helm of Back Friday on Twofold Bay, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
BELOW: MERCEDES VILLAR LOPEZ diving on Jake seaplane, PALAU.
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The bowsprit
Welcome to the February issue of SisterShip! Here at SisterShip our thoughts often turn to tropical islands (one editor in particular is somewhat preoccupied with them) so it was certainly no hardship to run a South Pacific Islands feature. This issue brings you a taste of the western Pacific with its diverse cultures, landforms, wildlife, climate, and food. We realise, however, that we have barely scratched the surface and would love to hear about your favourites. The largest ocean on the planet, the Pacific Ocean is not always kind. As most readers would know, Susie Goodall experienced its full fury in the high latitudes between NZ and South America where her boat was dismasted and damaged severely. The SisterShip team are in awe of all the Golden Globe Race competitors and our thoughts are with Susie. Speaking of solo women sailors, in this issue we bring you the next instalment of Melanie
Piddocke’s preparations for a solo, westabout circumnavigation as Lorelei finally leaves the boatyard. We also wish to congratulate SisterShip’s favourite solo sailor, Lisa Blair, on her record-breaking circumnavigation of Australia! Anyone who has sailed this coast knows it is no mean feat and we can’t wait to hear her plans for future adventures. Tropical islands and circumnavigations are not restricted to sailboats and we include a wonderful story from Lyn Battle who kayaked around Sweers Island in Australia’s remote north for a good cause. And of course, boating is not just all exotic island paradises, as our contributors from the northern hemisphere remind us! Whatever your location and choice of water sport, we hope you continue to voyage with us as SisterShip continues her global odyssey.
Shelley Wright
&
Jackie Parry
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Letters Message in a bottle
Send your letters to editor@sistershipmagazine.com
Editors’ note. When we relaunched SisterShip magazine in 2018, the magazine’s founder, Ruth Boydell, gave us a box of papers dating back to 1989. It was with great excitement that we dived into these treasures. We are in the process of tracking down as many of the original SisterShip correspondents as possible and are delighted that we can share some of the results so far. In this issue is the tale of a letter and cheque dated 1988 from Peter Heathwood, father of well known sailor and freelance writer Petrea McCarthy. When a friend of Petrea’s attended a recent SisterShip Coastal Navigation course at Lake Macquarie, it was
the perfect opportunity to surprise Petrea and her father with the original letter and a set of 1988/89 SisterShip back copies. The following is Petrea’s account...
I was surprised when Karen handed me the parcel from SisterShip. But I was absolutely astonished when I saw it contained my long awaited SisterShip magazines, plus Dad’s original letter and cheque for a Christmas gift subscription.
Issue #1, published in April ’88, shows how recently women began to be accepted into the marine industry. Mandi Swan had lately become the first female sailmaker in New Zealand; Newcastle Tech had just started teaching navigation to women; and less than 1% of students at the Australian Maritime College were female.
I’m looking forward to catching up with all the news from 1988. I’ve already browsed issue #1, in which SisterShip founder Ruth Boydell published several letters of encouragement for the concept of a magazine for women on the water. One of those letters was from my sister Tania, who met Ruth while cruising in Brazil. Tania and Ruth also cruised in company in the Caribbean, from where Tania continued westwards, and (I believe) Ruth headed for the USA.
Kay Cottee was about to become the first woman to circumnavigate non-stop and unassisted, Jessica Watson was not even thought of, and Cathy Hawkins was in the midst of her successful short-handed ocean racing career. Multihulls were still considered radical and unsafe, and banned from most ocean races. In December 1987 I had joined Cathy and partner Ian Johnston on their 12 m trimaran Verbatim to race unofficially in the Sydney-Hobart. Although starting well after the fleet, we were just pipped by line
Hi Shelley and Jackie,
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honours winner, the maxi-yacht Sovereign. The SisterShip photo of Cathy sailing Verbatim must have been a few years old, as it shows her wearing a pair of PVC wet weather pants tied up with string. By 1988, state of the art wet weather gear was the new, soft PVC Dorlon gear. Still only available in men's sizing, it was far more comfortable, if just as sweaty. Issue #1 also featured an article on sexism, showing how some things have not changed enough. Another article pleaded with us not to release balloons, an ongoing issue today. While the original SisterShip may have been too far ahead of its time to continue, the present version shows that the idea of women afloat in their own right is now very powerful. A lot has changed in thirty years, but one thing that remains the same is SisterShip’s subscription price. If that’s not good value, I’ll eat my PVC sou’wester! Cheers, Petrea McCarthy
ABOVE: Petrea McCarthy receiving her surprise parcel. BELOW: Peter Heathwood reading the letter he sent to SisterShip in 1988.
1988 - 89 copies of SisterShip magazine.
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Amy Alton
Vava’u Vaka Eitu anchorage.
I awaken as the engine under my head fires into life. I don’t have to look to know where we are, as I can feel it – the waters are calm beneath me, as if we sail in a lake. After only 40 hours of sailing since leaving Niue, this calm tells me we’ve arrived into Tonga. We’ve arrived into the islands of Vava’u, the most popular Tongan island group for visiting cruisers. The entrance to Neiafu is wide and well-marked, with plenty of room for us to follow the markers into the harbor. We press on towards the islands without hesitation, even with a scheduled arrival in the wee hours of the morning. With a fiveminute warning, I’m at the helm as my husband, David, pulls up the mooring ball in Neiafu and secures our lines. As a harbor, Neiafu is deep. It’s better suited for picking up a mooring ball than anchoring. Confident that Starry Horizons is secure, we head back to bed as there are still a few hours until customs opens. Before we go to clear in, we tune into VHF channel 26. Channel 26 is repeated throughout the island group, and the morning net is well organized. The extenders allow boats up to 40 miles offshore to
communicate with the island group. Each day of the week has a different net controller, many of whom are expats from Canada or the States. After clearing in and grabbing fresh provisions, the first stop is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen: Port Maurelle. The visibility in the water isn’t great, but snorkeling is not why you come to Port Maurelle. You come because the water is electric blue. There are no buildings in sight, yet it’s seven miles to the services in Neiafu Harbor. The beach is the perfect place to host morning yoga or a beach bonfire. It’s paradise and the perfect place to wind down after a passage. While anchored in Port Maurelle, we team up with friends to snorkel Swallow’s Cave. The cave mouth stands at the point of the peninsula and it’s easy to spot. Tour companies offer trips to Swallow’s Cave to snorkel with the bait ball of fish that play in the entrance. Our tender, Little Dipper, bobs in the water while we snorkel with the fish and sea snakes. Abandoning our snorkel gear, we climb up into the cave. Squeezing through a small opening, we find a large room with a SisterShip 7
The Two of Us
Annette Hesselmans and Sophie Snijders Annette (Mum):
more female sailors heading out to sea.
It has taken me a lifetime of sailing to reach this point. To have the confidence to sail 4,500 nm as skipper with my 20-year-old daughter Sophie and her boyfriend Jack as crew.
The sail back from Osaka is considered, for many Melbourne to Osaka yacht race competitors, to be an anticlimax after completing this incredible double handed race. For many owner/skippers, a delivery crew is organised for the return voyage.
I do not know why it takes a perfectly experienced woman this long to believe in herself. I do know, however, that I now feel an enormous sense of achievement. I am so proud of Sophie and myself for embarking on this incredible journey: sailing our yacht, Red Jacket from Osaka, Japan to Townsville, Australia. Many miles and experiences have passed under Red’s keel and I will always value sharing this experience with Sophie. I dearly hope that I have given Sophie the confidence to embark on her own journey and to believe in herself. I also dearly hope that with each female sailing accomplishment, there will be
As one of three women competing in the race, I can confirm that competing in the Melbourne to Osaka double handed yacht race is without doubt very satisfying (to say the least) and worth many a celebration on completion. For me, the sail home was the culmination of my two year ‘Osaka’ journey. This voyage represented all that I had been striving for and the reason for entering this crazy race: endurance, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, gaining greater knowledge and skills; and, inspiring other women to sail. Inspiring my daughter was SisterShip 16
beyond my wildest dreams. Whilst Sophie has sailed many miles throughout her life, most of these have been as a toddler (swinging about the yacht like an orangutan); child (with our yacht full of stuffed horses with Sophie sitting in the cockpit in her jodhpurs and riding boots); or as a monosyllabic teenager, depleting the ships batteries and stores whilst grumbling that she would rather be at a party with her friends. Actually, despite her grumblings, I think Sophie has always had a connection with the ocean and sailing. I remember on our sail to Tasmania, when Sophie was seven, her sitting in the cockpit mesmerised by the ocean and the seabirds. It always seemed that the rougher and wilder the conditions, the more captivated she became.
“Sitting in the cockpit in her jodhpurs and riding boots.” I could not have asked for a more capable, passionate, and reliable crew member. It is not an easy sail from Japan to Australia, particularly with the changing seasons marking an end to the north easterly trades and the beginning of the typhoon season. Crossing the equator, tackling the frantic shipping traffic along the Japanese coast, coping with the extraordinary heat, constant rain squalls (we could shake reefs in and out in our sleep) and the Doldrums can make a mockery out of the strongest character. Sophie took it all in her stride.
I must admit that Red is not the most comfortable of yachts. She is built for racing and much of her cabin is taken up with the centreboard case and central engine compartment. The galley is snug and ‘fridgeless’, the aft bunks are like sleeping in a coffin and the navigation station is wedged behind the companionway. Throw in some leaky ports and deck fittings and Red makes backpacking luxurious in comparison! There is such a lot to do day-after-day on a leaky boat heading into trying conditions. Navigation, watch keeping, ensuring safe passage, entry into unfamiliar ports, food preparation, rest, and maintenance to name but a few. To the best of her ability, Sophie shared this load and I am instilled with complete faith and trust in her. She learnt quickly to read the AIS; understand the navigation systems aboard, and had no hesitation in waking me as requested with any concerns. Sophie could feel when Red was overpowered and learnt to read Red’s ‘personality’. We shook reefs in and out together; raised and lowered the Code Zero
Breaking the Ice with the locals, Elato Is, Micronesia
Breaking the ice with the locals, Elato Is, Micronesia.
Annette - Elato Is, Micronesia. SisterShip 17
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Viki Moore
The Marlborough Sounds Tucked away at the top of the South Island, New Zealand, the Marlborough Sounds is an idyllic cruising destination. Boasting over 1,500 km, or approximately one fifth of New Zealand’s stunning coastline, emerald green bush-covered hills drop steeply in to the deep inky blue waters, creating hundreds of coves and bays ripe for exploration. The best time to visit is during New Zealand’s spring, summer, and autumn – October to May. This also coincides with the Pacific cyclone season, when many cruisers choose to sail south from the tropics to either New Zealand or Australia. While most yachts choose to stay in the beautiful Bay of Islands in the north, those who sail further south can be rewarded with stunning and secluded cruising, inaccessible to those on the otherwise well-beaten tourist track. There are four major areas in the region. Queen Charlotte Sound on the eastern side is the most populated. Kenepuru Sound, in the middle, has shallower turquoise coloured waters. Pelorus Sound, on the western side, and the Outer Sounds boast many beautiful
remote islands and native reserves. Many parts of the region are only accessible by boat. To reach the Marlborough Sounds you must first face Cook Strait. This narrow body of water separates the New Zealand’s North and South Islands. The terrain of the islands forces the wind to funnel through the gap. With high tide on one side being at the same time as low tide on the other side, and submarine canyons forcing the current upwards, you can understand why this intimidating stretch of water is often referred to as “unpredictable”, “a formidable gauntlet”, or “a violent body of water”. Perhaps this is what puts people off sailing south? However, if you pick your weather window and coordinate the tides, it is possible to enjoy a relatively smooth, fast trip across to the shelter of the Marlborough Sounds. Queen Charlotte Sound can be accessed via Tory Channel on the Eastern side of Cook Strait, or through the wider entrance at the top between Cape Jackson and Cape SisterShip 29
Australia bound and my constant life support
“Yoga”
Leanne Hembrow I’ve become quite familiar following this rhumb line to my home port, Australia, each year. Another cruising season over we begin our migration home for the cyclone season, 19-20 knots of wind blowing from the east, seas short and choppy, we sail through Utope pass New Caledonia quite quickly, the swells have us moving, shaking, slapping and rolling! After years of being self-employed and working crazy hours, I never really had time for me. In the midst of preparing for our sailing adventure I found myself with time and options. Walking along Manly Queensland jetty I discovered a sign that read “Yoga Studio.” This is where my love of yoga began! Our Ocean Catamaran Songlines is our home, we travel to Pacific locations yearly and are now accompanied by our Down Under Rally participants, covering approximately 4,000 + nautical miles each season and many more coastal miles from Bundaberg to Sydney. Prior to this familiar route we purchased a boat in the USA and crossed the Pacific after leaving Australia in 2009, sailing in excess of 30,000 nautical miles.
To flow is the balance of life!
Travelling this many miles each year Yoga has always been my constant on the ocean to keep me balanced, focused and free from stiff joints. Eventually leading me to Bali in 2013 for yoga teacher training. I am known as Yoga4Yachties, I teach a Vinyasa Flow Yoga to sailors and like-minded souls during my travels. Dispel illusions Allow me to dispel the illusion that living on board your boat and cruising throughout the world you are very active – well with the exception of passages, the odd tweaking of sails, and when the weather allows us to enjoy our ocean life below us and land around us, living as a cruiser is quite a different story. We have embraced the pirate lifestyle well, 'ah another rum me hearty!'
We left Utope Pass in company with one of our Down Under Rally vessels Mahalo off our starboard beam thousands of seabirds were surrounding us and feeding in a frenzy, a spectacular site to see. SisterShip 36
The moon was full and beaming aft of us, as the sunsets on our first evening. I watch from our saloon bed before my eyes start to close, I open them once again to see the moon so brilliant with a tinge of pink surrounding, content I fall asleep. I’m awake at the helm, seas have calmed and wind consistently blowing us with good strength and Songlines is averaging 8.2 knots. Misty cloudy skies blanket the stars, but visibility bright from the moon. Mahalo has slipped away from us wave by wave, just us and the ocean sounds once again.
Australia gathering in Port Stephens in 2016. Seven students attended. At the same event in 2018, up to 25 students joined in each day. This past pacific season, where I have taught sailors and crew since 2013, I had the pleasure of teaching in excess of 600 students. It is now not uncommon for me to wake in an anchorage and see someone practicing on the bow of their boat. Ten years of cruising
A cruisers life for me Many cruisers have come from owning their own businesses or various hard-working occupations to choose this lifestyle for travelling. We are a social bunch and love our sundowners and lounging around on deck or below reading numerous novels in idealistic locations, something we savour as quite the change from slaving away in our previous lives. Women Who Sail One of my first Yoga4Yachties Australian events was the inaugural Women Who Sail
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ChardonNay A Kayak circumnavigation
Lyn Battle Waving farewell and setting off from beach to start the circumnavigation.
We girls all love a challenge, right? Pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zone helps us grow into better sailors, yes? Rise up to become the best version of yourself, etc, etc. These thoughts all travelled through my mind as I struggled to stay upright in my 15-foot sea kayak while another white-capped wave reared up to test my nerve. When I didn’t flip over, the wave slid contemptuously beneath me like a big shark shrugging me off for another day. I was paddling my 18-year-old Perception Contour sea kayak ChardonNay through a choppy southeaster about a mile off Sweers Island, in Australia’s south eastern Gulf of Carpentaria. Training to become the first female to paddle around the island, and the first person to do it non-stop. (American visitor Nick Zajak had paddled around the previous year, picnicking on a beach along the way). It is about 30 kilometres around the island, depending how far offshore you must go to avoid the reefs (which depends on the height of the tide). I planned to do the
circumnavigation on a calm day, preferably during neap tides to minimise current. As we operate a tourist lodge on the island and I needed a free day for the paddle, it was not easy to tee all these things up on the same day! Why this challenge? In April I took on a 30day Alcohol Free Challenge with the UKbased International OYNB (One Year No Beer) group, giving up my chardonnay habit and putting the money saved into an old wine bottle (can’t steal from that piggy bank ‘til you smash the bottle at the challenge end!). OYNB recommends a physical challenge to keep you focussed and utilise the nondrinking time to get healthy and fit. Most members take up running or mountain climbing – both in short supply on Sweers Island – so I opted for a water-based activity. “Aim high,” they said, “Something you cannot do right now, but with time and training is achievable in a month or so.” I thought of Nick’s paddle round the island and how I used to kayak on Irish rivers and SisterShip 46
canals nearly 40 years ago – surely sea kayaking couldn’t be all that much different? L… O… L… The first challenge was the boat. I didn’t even OWN a sea kayak. Synchronicity to the rescue and I found a second-hand boat for a very good price online. I arranged transport by truck and barge to the island. Old but well cared for, the boat seemed perfect for this project. It was even PINK, although previous owner Cliff insists it is “faded purple”. LOL again. I named it ChardonNay since it was saying “Nay” to my chardonnay wine habit that brought about this whole seafaring adventure. I contacted the manufacturer Perception (now Mission Kayaks) in New Zealand and was delighted to learn that their makers mark on the hull dated her to November 15th 2000, the 174th one made, and shipped to Australia just before Christmas that year. Howzat for Ancestry Dot Com for Kayaks! My dear husband (DH) was bemused but supportive. It turned out that several friends and guests were into kayaking and gave me lots of tips. Well known sea kayaker Stuart Trueman called into Sweers during his circumnavigation of Australia and had lots of good advice. I even had sponsors – including surfski paddler Trev and his wife Sandy who own the Australian company AlcoFree, selling great tasting alcohol free wines, beers and yes, even spirits – for those ladies who are now (Eskimo)* rolling their eyes at the thought of giving up wine at sundowners. I climbed in and started paddling. First just along the sandy shore, venturing a little further each day, gaining confidence and remembering old strokes and bracing techniques. On windy days I spent hours in the shallows practicing falling out of the kayak, then flipping it over, draining out the water and trying to find the most graceful way to haul myself back in. Until I had seen
Boat arriving on weekly barge Carpentaria Venture from Karumba, after arriving on truck from Cairns, being carried ashore by Lyn and Linda.
paddler Ann in Townsville do her amazing side-saddle-slide into the cockpit, I thought there was NO graceful way to climb back into the boat; thank you Ann for inspiring me to learn a new challenge instead of my clumsy-cowboy-clamber up the back deck! Oh, to be able to do the Eskimo Roll! I also had heaps of fun researching and buying safety gear. A manual water pump; paddle float; lines to attach my paddle and myself to the boat; a spraydeck – this was more fun than buying new shoes (especially living on a sandy island where the shoe fashion oscillates between thongs in summer and Ugg boots in winter). I chose a nylon one with a zipper at the front and a snug neoprene waistband. It probably won’t keep water out in a roll, but for a long paddle in tropical heat, it meant I could easily access water bottles, food, and radio stored in the cockpit. I downloaded a GPS app to my mobile phone (Polaris GPS Waypoints Navigator for Android – it was the most accurate plotter of those that I tested) and learned how to use it. I bought an Australian made ‘Paqua’ waterproof pouch for the phone and DH gave me a little waterproof camera for my birthday – pink of course. Perhaps the most important, if not the most glamorous gadget required, was a means to go to the toilet inside the cockpit, so that I wouldn’t have to go ashore for a comfort stop, and although I had practiced it, I SisterShip 47
‘Ceiba’ SHANI MEINTJES Ceiba shipbuilding hanger .
A jungle shipyard. Fruit trees; cashew, lemon, sweetsop, and mango provide delicious food and soft shade from the blazing heat during the endless summer months. A gentle breeze blows their leaves up into the treehouse that is suspended from the giant guanacaste tree which spreads its branches protectively over the spacious expanse of the lofting floor. Stacks of light cypress intersperse the enormous dark red tamarindo del monte logs gather in increasing numbers onsite as the sun sets at the end of another full day. Today I see the ship’s very spine lying in wait – these dense hardwood timbers have since transformed into the keel, scarves neatly interlaced in readiness for giant ribs to be attached. This is the view from the office. El Astillero Ceiba del Mar is a home; a place of work, life, and play, cradled by the beautiful blue of the Pacific Ocean, waves lapping at its palm-fringed edges, eager to draw Ceiba away with the next tide. BACKGROUND It all began with a vision, and a desire, to do better. There was a time when several friends met aboard the Tres Hombres and were inspired to begin a larger, regenerative
wooden boat-build that would meet the ecological, ethical, and economic requirements of our rapidly changing world. Founders Danielle Doggett and Lynx Guimond both saw gaps in the growing environmentally-conscious consumer market which they could fill with a financiallycompetitive and sustainable sailing cargo ship. Once the chain has regained its missing link; the ethical consumer is connected with the ethical producer in a circular, emission-free supply chain. As an investor you will not only help make this happen, but also see a return on your investment once the ship is operating optimally. This makes it unique; anyone can invest in shares of stock in the company, become a part of the change and support a move into a new direction for the shipping SisterShip 62
industry. Subsequently, this becomes a message for the sector at large – we need to transform the way we do shipping to see the survival of trade as we know and enjoy it today. But why do we need to see shipping change? A huge 90% of the world’s cargo is carried by bunker-fuel-guzzling container ships (International Chamber of Shipping) and is therefore responsible for a myriad of detrimental environmental consequences, the effects of which often transfer beyond borders. Repercussions include high carbon emissions, which are predicted to heavily increase by 2050, interference with whales’ natural sonar communication pathways, and the destruction of marine habitat, as well as major oil spills, just to name a few. For those involved to take responsibility and implement measures to reduce impacts have, up until very recently, not been enforced under internationally-agreed climate policies. As the world’s hunger for more affordable, expeditiously-shipped products only continue to increase, these impacts will become steadily worse and more frequent.
Ceiba will be a 148ft (45m) square topsail schooner, which is being built using traditional techniques in combination with modern technology. The vessel will be constructed entirely from wood that has been sourced from within Costa Rica and is either storm-fallen, plantation, or non-native trees that have become a potential threat to landowners and livelihoods. The drive for sustainably sourced timber for the vessel has included the use of large quantities of the tropical hardwood, tamarindo del monte, removed after toppling in a hurricane during 2017. Upcoming is the purchase of another giant timber, guapinol, which was brought down in a recent landslide, and in the weeks commencing, it will become “upcycled” as the robust stem-piece of Ceiba. As these timbers take on new forms in the shape of the ship, as almost a kind of carbonsequestration, the wood is re-utilised by keeping its original structure, instead of just being left to decompose naturally – with intent to give back in a new age of shipping and exercise purposefully-beneficial forestry management. Sails will unfold with the power of the wind
Lofting the curves of Ceiba. SisterShip 63
“Woman, take the helm!”*
Lena Kempén Happy crews in Luleå.
The pennant.
In 2010 Linda Lindenau, a long-distance sailor, instructor, lecturer, and writer started a project sponsored by the Swedish Boat Union with the aim of finding “Female Role Models in Boating”. (The translation from Swedish seems somehow a bit peculiar). Linda and the Boat Union wanted to present women who were skippers, harbourmasters, instructors, or writers and in their turn let them inspire other women to take part in boating. Thirty women from the south to the very north of Sweden formed this group. For two years – the length of time we were granted money** – we met twice a year sharing experiences, discussing traditional concepts of gender at sea, and taking part in different activities. When the project was finished, we wanted to keep this network of female boaters. It gave so much pleasure, but also a lot of inspiration. I, for example, entered the project as a writer and had articles about competent women published in Swedish sailing magazines. But when Rita from my hometown started sailing courses and needed
someone to help her out, I suddenly found myself involved in that activity as well. Since we come from different towns in Sweden we decided to meet at various places once a year and arrange some kind of boating activity in addition to talks. We no longer have any monetary support, but our meetings are organized so that we can stay over in the houses, cottages, or boats of our friends. Friends! Yes, that’s what we are after eight years of fellowship. The network still consists of 10 members who participated from the start. New members have been SisterShip 68
included over the years, but only women who agree to our aim: inspire other women to develop their skills in boating; to take the helm. So, what have we done during our meetings? Sweden is a long country. From the most southerly city, Malmö, to the northern town, Lulea, it’s 1,500 kilometres, so the climate and the conditions for sailing do differ a lot. Lulea is situated only 12 kilometres from the polar circle. That means quite short summers, but very long days, as the midnight sun shines more or less throughout the whole day and night. In winter ice covers the sea from November to April.
the case. A woman recently reported being sexually harassed by the commander of one of the boats. She was on her last practice before graduating as a shipmaster. This made her leave the education. Questions concerning equality often come up at our discussions. Most of us have experienced situations where men have shown a cocky attitude towards women manoeuvring a boat in a harbour for example. But over the years this has changed to the better as the number of female skippers has increased. And maybe, that is to
When the network of women met at Lulea in winter, we visited one of the big ice-breakers that are stationed here. We enjoyed the guided tour on the command bridge and the huge engine room and felt very well treated. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always seem to be Three boats, 11 women anchored for the night in the archipelago of Norrkoeping.
Back from the sailing, south of Stockholm.
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SCRIBBLING BAREFOOT Linda Frylink Anderson The name 'Scribbling Barefoot' came about when I had my first solo exhibition not long after we returned from sailing around the world. I draw from life. I have always drawn nudes and still lifes but in recent years I have enjoyed capturing the scenes I observed from our boat and on land. Recently I have been creating pique assiette mosaics using recycled materials such as china, old jewellery, glass, mirrors and interesting collectibles. I have a studio in the bush high on a mountain near Lismore in which to work. Two years ago I treated myself to a painting tour in Morocco with Wendy Sharpe where I used gouache for the first time. It's a medium that I am now enjoying and as it dries quickly, perfect for painting scenes from life. I studied Visual Communications at the Canberra School of Art many years ago. This
included painting, drawing and developing/ printing my own photography. Travel beckoned with the love of my life so I did not finish my Art degree. However after having children I returned to university to study Early Childhood Education. I enjoyed the autonomy of being a Kindergarten Director for two decades encouraging children to be creative thinkers. I am still an advocate for children to freely express themselves through the Arts. Throughout our sailing adventures around the world, I captured what I saw using pastels, ink and paint. Many of my works are published in my two books, Sailing in my Sarong and Salvage in my Sarong. I am now a full time artist enjoying the membership of a co-operative Gallery of artists, collectors and up-cyclers at the Iluka Emporium, NSW, Australia.
Scribbling Barefoot & Mosaic Art. https://www.facebook.com/lindafrylink/ Sailing in my Sarong https://www.facebook.com/SailinginmySarong/ Websites : Sailing in my Sarong Around the World : www.valiam.com.au Scribbling Barefoot - Linda Frylink Anderson https://lindafrylink.wordpress.com/ Email : artistinthebush@gmail.com. valiam1@hotmail.com Phone: +61 (0)402330244 SisterShip 74
I have had the pleasure of presenting at International Writers Festivals in Byron Bay and Ubud, Bali, The International Boat Show in Sydney as well as art exhibitions in SE Qld, Northern NSW, Mauritius, US Virgin Islands and New York. I’m proud to say that I have been a member of Women Who Sail Australia since its inception. My art and writing go hand in hand and you will often see me at author talks with my artwork on display.
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