Waypoints. Learning more than the ropes Women at the Wheel By Shannon Band. The Newsletter of Kadey-Krogen Yachts Fall 2010

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1 The Newsletter of Kadey-Krogen Yachts Fall 2010 Waypoints ON DECK: Update on the Krogen 52' :: In the News :: What Is a Full Displacement Trawler Yacht? :: Kadey-Krogen 55' Learning more than the ropes Women at the Wheel By Shannon Band Ever heard the phrase, Behind every great man there is a great woman? Now by no means am I a feminist, but I think that a great woman can be in the forefront and a man can be great on his own. As I continue to learn more about the cruising lifestyle, it s becoming more and more obvious that the notion of boating being a guy thing is stereotypical, and wrong. Women love being on the water just as much as men do, and though the reasons may vary, women are as interested in and capable of handling all the nautical know-how. Read on about three women who are more than first mates. The owner-couples of Kadey-Krogens often are a team, sharing all the responsibilities and delegating roles based upon strengths and weaknesses. I was impressed with Jo Brinckerhoff when cruising across the Gulf of Mexico with her and husband, Jack, as part of the 2010 Regata del Sol (see summer 2010 Waypoints). Not only did she stand watch twice a day and cook all the meals in the galley, when there was engine trouble she was down in the engine room with Jack trying to figure out a solution. This made me reevaluate my perception of a woman s role in a boating lifestyle. I ve learned that there are several women Kadey-Krogen owners who spend a significant amount of time at the helm, some as the primary operator. Meet Sherri Smith, Debbie Redmond and. Sherri and her husband, Nick Morgan, live on their Krogen 39', Sweet Time. Debbie and husband, Mark, live aboard their Krogen 48' North Sea, Aquila. And Betty, well, she lives aboard her Krogen 48' North Sea, LiLi, all by herself and couldn t be happier. While these ladies all happened to be in Annapolis this past summer, women at the wheel extend throughout the Kadey-Krogen community worldwide. Continued on page 2

Sherry Smith at the helm with Nick Morgan aboard their Krogen 39', Sweet Time Sherri and Nick discovered she had a better feel for the boat at the helm. I had more of a knack for it.

2 Sherry Smith at the helm with Nick Morgan aboard their Krogen 39', Sweet Time Sherri and Nick discovered she had a better feel for the boat at the helm. I had more of a knack for it. Continued from page 1 Sherri Smith Sherri grew up in New England and spent her summers enjoying the water on her friends and uncle s boats. Once she was a little older she began to sail Sunfish around the lakes as well. After meeting Nick through work in the early 1980s, she began sailing with him on their friends boats in Annapolis. They loved the water so much that they were considering buying a beach house. That changed when Nick took Sherri to the South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island for her birthday and they stumbled upon a DeFever Rendezvous. After discovering trawlers, they realized a vacation home neighboring the same people on the same beach with the same scenery trip after trip didn t appeal to them as much. A boat allowed for so many more adventures and vacations and experiences. After purchasing a semidisplacement trawler and spending numerous long weekends on the Chesapeake Bay, they decided to expedite their five-year plan for a Kadey-Krogen to a three-year plan. Enter Sweet Time, the best decision they ever made. To gain more experience and knowledge before their new boat was ready, Sherri and Nick chartered a boat. They had a captain stay on board to help further instruct how to manage and handle a boat. It was during this time that Sherri and Nick discovered she had a better feel for the boat at the helm. I had more of a knack for it. Throwing the lines didn t really appeal to me, she says. Even though she is the primary person at the wheel, they do take their turns on watch while they are underway and share in all the other responsibilities. Except one. Nick is in charge of the navigation so that we actually get to where we want to go, she notes. Yes, Sherri could get lost in a slip! Nick quips with a smile. While they have been fortunate with their cruising adventures, they have had a few of what they call sphincter runs in the Intracoastal Waterway. With the appropriate planning and following of weather patterns, though, cruising has been more fun and exciting than trying. Even with the most meticulous planning, there have been a handful of times that docking conditions weren t ideal, but Sherri has always been able to get their wide-bottomed beauty into her slip. Sherri emphasizes, Full-time cruising is a lot of work, but the rewards are great. There s a wonderful sense of accomplishment. It s different than just following the interstate. Nick continues, You see each destination very differently by boat than by car. You even find new places you didn t know existed along the way. Sherri and Nick love Sweet Time so much that in 2008 they moved aboard full time. As for suggestions to women who are interested in becoming more immersed in boating, Sherri exclaims, Go for it! Get instruction on your boat from someone appropriate to increase your knowledge and boost your confidence. That s exactly what Debbie Redmond did.

Debbie Redmond Debbie s grandfather s pet name for her was Water Dog because she always wanted to be in or on the water as she grew up in Ohio.

She even met her husband, Mark, during a regatta. The water was destined to be a huge part of her life.

Because of her love for any vessel that floats, Debbie proudly describes herself as bi-boatal.

3 Debbie Redmond Debbie s grandfather s pet name for her was Water Dog because she always wanted to be in or on the water as she grew up in Ohio. For the past 15 years plus, she has been racing sailboats. Most notably she raced in the Ladies Rolex International after being asked by Joni Palmer, who was once the winner of the Adams Cup. She even met her husband, Mark, during a regatta. The water was destined to be a huge part of her life. Debbie and Mark continued to race sailboats, but became interested in trawlers and the excitement of cruising. Because of her love for any vessel that floats, Debbie proudly describes herself as bi-boatal. They first purchased a Krogen 42', but quickly realized that they wanted something a little fortable with their boats, whether they re part bigger. So 11 months later they traded in their 42' of a team or on their own. It s a learnable skill. for Aquila, a Krogen 48' North Sea. Debbie admittedly felt intimidated initially by the size of the boat. She also notes that all lessons are highly Nobody s born knowing how to be a boater. To boost her confidence, her birthday present to customized to fit the experience and goals of herself was an all-day lesson aboard Aquila with the students. Captain Patti Moore of SeaSense. Debbie remembers, When Patti came on SeaSense offers lessons and instructions to board her only rule was that Mark had to be women and couples about both sailing and powerboating. Every topic is covered: docking, engine watching all these pilings and buoys go by down below. There he was in the stateroom room maintenance, navigation, helmsmanship, while he was trying to work. Fortunately he s anchoring, man overboard prevention/recovery, and very supportive of me and trusts me. That many other essential aspects of boating. Captain confidence in and of itself is as important as Patti says, One of our goals is to get people com- Continued on page 4 Debbie Redmond Her birthday present to herself was an all-day lesson aboard Aquila with Captain Patti Moore of SeaSense. The Redmonds live aboard Aquila, their Krogen 48' North Sea 3

Mark supported Debbie s taking classes, though he had to learn to trust her ability. Now I m very relaxed and comfortable, says Mark.

4 When you take the boat out of her slip you get this high, this feeling of euphoria. rinses the anchor chain as she prepares to get underway on LiLi, her Krogen 48' North Sea Continued from page 3 the information Patti was teaching me. Mark supported Debbie s taking classes, though he had to learn to trust her ability. Now I m very relaxed and comfortable, says Mark. I wasn t always that way because just as Debbie needed to become confident in her abilities, I had to also. I had to be convinced that she had acquired the skills to safely and properly operate the boat. Now I sit back and enjoy the trip and admire how far Debbie has progressed. It s evident that Debbie and Mark make a great team. They keep the responsibilities pretty even and are more comfortable knowing that each of them is familiar with everything about Aquila. Debbie feels it is so important to learn all she can about her boat because boating is much more pleasant as a couple. Also, if someone has a health issue or goes overboard, you have to know how to get them back safely. Being at the wheel also appeals to Debbie because, at 5'0", she finds it easier than handling the lines. It made more sense for Mark to take that responsibility. They also find headsets for communication during docking to be extremely helpful. There s no yelling. No guessing. No frustration. Just succinct instructions. And it goes really smoothly, she explains. Mark has had many proud moments since Debbie took her lessons and has stepped up behind the helm. The most public was a couple days after the class. We had left Stuart and I told Debbie that she was going to dock the boat that night in Melbourne. Pretty much on her own she backed into the designated slip. Once we were in we looked and saw that the pilings were just kissing the boat on each side. Then we heard the applause from the folks at the dock bar who had been watching the whole thing. I was so happy and proud for her, but more importantly it gave her a huge confidence boost, he reflects. Debbie s perspective on boating? Freedom! she exclaims. When you take the boat out of her slip you get this high, this feeling of euphoria. It s funny to think that backing out a Krogen gives you this rush of adrenalin, but it does. And I love to share it with friends and family. She encourages all women to not be intimidated by boats or by doing something new and emphasizes the importance of confidence and knowledge. Confidence and knowledge are the reasons Betty Robinson has become the skilled mariner she is today. Confidence, knowledge and experience. Although she grew up in New England and spent her summers waterskiing, Betty was an adult when she began weekend cruising. Once she became single again, through her friends encouragement she became interested in the possibility of boating on her own. She ended up buying a Krogen 48' North Sea, LiLi (Live Life), primarily for weekend cruising and the occasional vacation. An early retire-

ment package from her tenure as CIO in corporate America was too good to turn down. All of a sudden Betty had more time for LiLi and all that she had to offer.

5 ment package from her tenure as CIO in corporate America was too good to turn down. All of a sudden Betty had more time for LiLi and all that she had to offer. Betty didn t initially plan to live aboard. However, after a year went by with no interest in going back to her house, she realized how enamored she was with her boat and cruising. The decision to live aboard alone came with a lot of thought and preparation. How am I going to do this by myself? That was a fear of mine, but I was able to overcome it, she says. She took many lessons through the Chapman School of Seamanship in Stuart, Florida. She spent hours upon hours in the engine room with the Kadey-Krogen service staff. She paid close attention to training offered by Kadey-Krogen and worked diligently with the captains she hired to bring LiLi to and from boat shows and up the ICW. She truly believes that people need to face their fears themselves in a non-threatening, safe, and supervised setting. Professionals have seen it all and done it all; now it s your job to learn it all. When Betty first had the boat in Annapolis, she and other Kadey-Krogen women would take her out for what they dubbed LiLi lunches. This was a great way to practice different maneuvers especially anchoring and docking and it was fun. When we first started going out I hardly ate a thing I was so nervous. But, each time I gained a little more experience, and a little more confidence, she reflects with a smile. Betty attributes most of her success to not feeling pressured to have to do it all quickly. She knew that the skills and knowledge would take time to learn and she s thankful she was able to do it incrementally. She s found that over time and as her confidence grew, the crew she has on board with her need not be extremely experienced, though she does prefer to include people that are at least as skilled as she is. Through networking at rendezvous events, via the licensed captains she had hired, and with the East Coast owners group Krogen Cruisers, Betty encourages people to not be afraid to make mistakes and find your way out. It will only increase your comfort level. is always able to find crew. Since the days of LiLi lunches Betty has made five more runs along the ICW. Most excitingly, she took LiLi to the Bahamas this past winter. To be able to be in the Bahamas in my own home just about knocked me out, she says with a great sense of accomplishment. With each trip she and the crew set different goals, such as anchoring out 70% of the time and visiting a certain number of new destinations throughout the passage. Betty s drive and desire to learn and cruise come from celebrating her successes along the way. Whether it s tackling strange and unfamiliar waters, docking with a swift current or just setting off on a new adventure, she doesn t allow time for drama she s able to get through a situation calmly. She encourages people to not be afraid to make mistakes and find your way out. It will only increase your comfort level. Betty is still learning. After two years she felt she needed a refresher. She invited Captain Patti Moore on board for a two-day course that went over everything she already knew, as well as some of the finer details. Betty continues to attend seminars and take classes. Captain Patti acknowledges that learning to boat initially can feel like learning a foreign language. It s intimidating, but you can learn. And it can be learned one step at a time. Sherri, Debbie and Betty all agree that the freedom, the beauty, the adventures, and the comfort on the water are all enhanced by knowledge, confidence and experience. Besides, notes Patti, this is pleasure boating. It s supposed to be fun! And fun is certainly had by all. Captain Patti Moore, right, in the engine room with Warwick Trawler Fest attendees Evonne Black and Cynthia Todd.

Waypoints. Life After a 209' Expedition Yacht by Natalie Friton

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