FAIR HAVEN - “In a lot of cases - a spouse knows more than they thought they did,” said Susan Peterson Gately, a Coast Guard licensed instructor who teaches at Silver Waters Sailing.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Susan Peterson Gately rows out to the 32-foot sloop “Titania” at Little Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario.
Susan Peterson Gately rows out to the 32-foot sloop “Titania” at Little Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario.
She specializes in teaching women, and a major part of her job is building confidence.
“Basically, for me, it's a question of building up my confidence in the wind, overcoming my fear with the wind. If there are many people on board I'm confident, but if there are just a few, and I think they're depending on me for their safety, then I'm concerned,” said Anneliese Bopp, of Sodus. She and her husband Jack took sailing lessons together about 10 years ago. That is generally not the norm.
“We're kind of unique in that respect. Typically, it's just the husband. It's still such a male dominated sport,” she said. But it doesn't have to be, explained Bopp. With the proper training women are in some ways superior to men in an activity that, while it does require a certain amount of physical commitment, depends primarily on attentiveness to constantly varying conditions, she explained.
“They (women) have such a more developed power of concentration,” Bopp said. Like many females however, she did have to acquire a sense of security in her capabilities. In order to do that, she called back Peterson Gately, who originally taught her and Jack, the following year. The two proceeded to go out on Lake Ontario - alone.
“When I called Susan, I would want to go out only on fair days,” Bopp said.
Knowing that, the instructor waited for wind-chopped water to call back. “Would you normally go out on a day like this?” Peterson Gately asked her. Bopp answered no. “All right, let's go out then,” Peterson Gately encouraged.
“It was just the two of us. At that time I was only used to motoring out of the channel alone. Once we were out in sail, she asked: ‘What are you afraid of?' I said, ‘I'm afraid of tipping over.' I took the helm, it came right up into the wind and stalled. If you are pointing close to the direction of the wind the sails will flop around. If you let go, it just stalls,” Bopp explained. That was the end, with some reservation, of her fear of the boat falling over.
Which is not to say she takes anything for granted out there.
Universal in the boating community, is that the water is a beautifully dangerous place.
“A lot of cases - a spouse knows more than they thought they did. It's just a matter of confidence. But no one should underestimate how quickly conditions can change,” said Peterson Gately, a Coast Guard licensed instructor who specializes in teaching women. “Be prepared with mandated safety gear. Even a small sailboat is a complicated set of equipment. It's kind of a high commitment sport.”
A storm, for instance, can slide over the water as quickly as a hand across a tabletop.
It can deliver with it walloping waves and wind even experienced sailors have trouble with.
“Sometimes summer thunderstorms can develop quite quickly,” Peterson Gately said. “Generally the big ones will be on the weather radio. But (with) isolated thunderstorms, it can be a peaceful, hazy afternoon 20 minutes before. Then, uh-oh! You can see the visual well ahead. To some extent, what you do depends on how big the lake. On Owasco Lake, you can scurry for cover on the west shoreline - the winds generally come from the west.”
Caught on a larger lake, like Ontario, too far from the shore, she said larger boats have the option of taking down the sails and riding it - motoring into it. Smaller boats, lacking a motor can go before the wind, running with the storm direction. For beginners, she recommends not going out from the shore much more than a mile or two - no farther than they can paddle.
Basic safety equipment such as flares, an HF radio and a bilge pump she considers key equipment and, of course, life jackets, preferably inflatable.
“They're nice because they have a safety harness - a tether between yourself and the boat,” she said. Which raises the question of going overboard. “I tell them to practice sailing up to something and picking it out of the water. If the husband falls in, making sure the wife can get him back into the boat. It's harder than you think.”
Ellen Grapensteter and her husband, Joe Zilvinskis, of Tully, often sail Cayuga Lake. She recommends, should your partner go overboard, to follow these rules. Never go into the water yourself. At least one person should stay on the boat. Drop the sails to stop the boat and throw a line. Grapensteter sought additional sailing instruction when her husband became disabled and needed help sailing their boat.
“I think you have to be thinking about the water and wind all the time. It's always changing - moment to moment - that's part of the beauty. But water can be dangerous - you have to expect that,” she said. Recommending that anyone thinking about trying sailing get a good instructor as the very first thing, she also advises having the teacher help them choose the sailboat best suited to them. But don't use your gender as a necessary factor.
“I had friends that chose the wrong boat, (one) made for racing. It just shot out. They weren't ready for that,” Grapensteter said. “But I've seen women in more than 25 footers, single sailing by themselves, with no problem.”
“Basically, for me, it's a question of building up my confidence in the wind, overcoming my fear with the wind. If there are many people on board I'm confident, but if there are just a few, and I think they're depending on me for their safety, then I'm concerned,” said Anneliese Bopp, of Sodus. She and her husband Jack took sailing lessons together about 10 years ago. That is generally not the norm.
“We're kind of unique in that respect. Typically, it's just the husband. It's still such a male dominated sport,” she said. But it doesn't have to be, explained Bopp. With the proper training women are in some ways superior to men in an activity that, while it does require a certain amount of physical commitment, depends primarily on attentiveness to constantly varying conditions, she explained.
“They (women) have such a more developed power of concentration,” Bopp said. Like many females however, she did have to acquire a sense of security in her capabilities. In order to do that, she called back Peterson Gately, who originally taught her and Jack, the following year. The two proceeded to go out on Lake Ontario - alone.
“When I called Susan, I would want to go out only on fair days,” Bopp said.
Knowing that, the instructor waited for wind-chopped water to call back. “Would you normally go out on a day like this?” Peterson Gately asked her. Bopp answered no. “All right, let's go out then,” Peterson Gately encouraged.
“It was just the two of us. At that time I was only used to motoring out of the channel alone. Once we were out in sail, she asked: ‘What are you afraid of?' I said, ‘I'm afraid of tipping over.' I took the helm, it came right up into the wind and stalled. If you are pointing close to the direction of the wind the sails will flop around. If you let go, it just stalls,” Bopp explained. That was the end, with some reservation, of her fear of the boat falling over.
Which is not to say she takes anything for granted out there.
Universal in the boating community, is that the water is a beautifully dangerous place.
“A lot of cases - a spouse knows more than they thought they did. It's just a matter of confidence. But no one should underestimate how quickly conditions can change,” said Peterson Gately, a Coast Guard licensed instructor who specializes in teaching women. “Be prepared with mandated safety gear. Even a small sailboat is a complicated set of equipment. It's kind of a high commitment sport.”
A storm, for instance, can slide over the water as quickly as a hand across a tabletop.
It can deliver with it walloping waves and wind even experienced sailors have trouble with.
“Sometimes summer thunderstorms can develop quite quickly,” Peterson Gately said. “Generally the big ones will be on the weather radio. But (with) isolated thunderstorms, it can be a peaceful, hazy afternoon 20 minutes before. Then, uh-oh! You can see the visual well ahead. To some extent, what you do depends on how big the lake. On Owasco Lake, you can scurry for cover on the west shoreline - the winds generally come from the west.”
Caught on a larger lake, like Ontario, too far from the shore, she said larger boats have the option of taking down the sails and riding it - motoring into it. Smaller boats, lacking a motor can go before the wind, running with the storm direction. For beginners, she recommends not going out from the shore much more than a mile or two - no farther than they can paddle.
Basic safety equipment such as flares, an HF radio and a bilge pump she considers key equipment and, of course, life jackets, preferably inflatable.
“They're nice because they have a safety harness - a tether between yourself and the boat,” she said. Which raises the question of going overboard. “I tell them to practice sailing up to something and picking it out of the water. If the husband falls in, making sure the wife can get him back into the boat. It's harder than you think.”
Ellen Grapensteter and her husband, Joe Zilvinskis, of Tully, often sail Cayuga Lake. She recommends, should your partner go overboard, to follow these rules. Never go into the water yourself. At least one person should stay on the boat. Drop the sails to stop the boat and throw a line. Grapensteter sought additional sailing instruction when her husband became disabled and needed help sailing their boat.
“I think you have to be thinking about the water and wind all the time. It's always changing - moment to moment - that's part of the beauty. But water can be dangerous - you have to expect that,” she said. Recommending that anyone thinking about trying sailing get a good instructor as the very first thing, she also advises having the teacher help them choose the sailboat best suited to them. But don't use your gender as a necessary factor.
“I had friends that chose the wrong boat, (one) made for racing. It just shot out. They weren't ready for that,” Grapensteter said. “But I've seen women in more than 25 footers, single sailing by themselves, with no problem.”
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