A Ladies' Guide to Better Boating!
A Ladies' Guide to Better Boating!
Ladies, if you think boating means fly-fishing, smelly bait, canned food and long-life milk, then think again! SPICE4LIFE Contributor Anton Pretorius provides some helpful tips to make those boating trips more memorable, even if you’re not a regular water baby!
I’ve often wondered if the genetic differences between man and woman influence the way we enjoy (or don’t enjoy!) boating and recreational activities on the water. I’ve been involved in the boating game for quite some time now, and from a personal perspective (dare I say it), I’ve found that women don’t enjoy boating as much as men would.
However, for the sake of avoiding stereotypes as well as an inbox full of feministic hate mail, I’ll happily rephrase: “SOME women don’t enjoy boating as much as SOME men do!” To illustrate my point is the fact that the global boating industry is largely male-dominant and has been so for many years.
Don’t get me wrong, while I’ve seen several women on boats, either manning the sail in an ocean yacht race, grafting hard on a dragon boat or even skippering a shark cage diving charter. Fact is: there ARE women who’ve made boats their life, and are complete and utter water babies.
But, then there are those women who get cold shivers down their spines even at the mere thought of getting onboard a boat. I remember planning a “romantic” whale watching boat trip around Seal Island with a former partner, yet, within 10 minutes of the trip, she was seen curled up in the fetal position, heading hanging over the side and gingerly feeding the seagulls with her seasickness.
Often, it’ll be the husband’s fault, and in some cases, the elements get the blame: salty sea spray, surging winds, pouring rain or the blazing sun, woman are quick to point out Mother Nature’s intentions to spoil their day out on the water. If it’s not the lip blisters, or the lobster-like sunburn, it’s the condition of her wind-swept hair – all of which could have been avoided had she not accompanied you on this “miserable” boat trip.
And when the dehydration kicks in, you might soon be on the receiving end of an enraged woman’s wrath should you opt to oppose her. You don’t want to become her personal piñata on which she could lash out on (most probably with an oar!) and put the blame of her dreadful boating experience squarely on you!
If you’re one of those women, here are a couple of useful tips to remember when hubby decides it’s time for one of those dreaded boating trips again. Follow these tips, and who knows? You might even enjoy the wind in your hair, and the cool breeze on your face. Make it a boating trip to remember:
Bring lots of snack along, enough to survive being tossed about during the day. Think sliced apples and carrot sticks over tender fruit. Pringles or similar snacks in a sturdy can are a great option. Anything in a hardy container is a great choice.
Have plenty of water and sports drinks (Energade, etc). Go easy on the gassy cooldrinks and energy drinks as those won’t help you with dehydration during a day out in the sun.
The most important thing to pack is sunscreen and lip balm. Bring plenty so you can reapply throughout the day. Swimming and toweling off wears down your UV protective sunscreen, so make sure you reapply frequently.
Make sure you have plenty of insect repellent, especially if you’re going to be out around dusk. Insect can carry deadly diseases like Malaria, etc. Also, have some hand sanitizer on hand, but do it before digging into those snacks.
Be sure to bring along extra swim suite, towels, comfy shoes, hats, sunglasses and a dry set of clothes for the ride home. Somehow, you’ll always need more than you can anticipate.
Sea sick tablets prior to departure are also a good idea, and will for those wobbly sea legs and help ease the nausea when you’re rocking around on the ocean.
Always create a travel plan. Whether you choose to inform a family member or staff at your local marine, always be sure you let someone know your float plan – tell them where you going and how long you expect to be gone.
Follow this simple advice, and your boating experience might get a whole lot better, and you as a women, might take a liking to boating, which is predominantly a male world. Because in the end, Men are from Mars and women are from…wait a minute…there’s no water on Mars, right?
To vies more useful boating information, please follow the link to Leisure Boating website www..leisureboating.co.za.
