Thinking about cruising but not sure it’s the life for you? Wish you could sit down with a group of women who have done it to hear their words of wisdom?
That’s exactly what Gina de Vere’s book, Blue Water Women: Making the Leap from Landlubber to a Life at Sea, gives you. It’s a wonderful, in-depth introduction to the life and all that goes along with it: learning to sail and live on a boat, the intricacies of traveling internationally by boat, family life, cooking afloat, living with “loved ones” in a tiny space 24/7, dealing with problems, weather, finances and working while cruising, and so much more.
Gina admits to feeling doubt when she started out. And fear. Most of us do, I’m sure. But she and the other women who contributed to her book stuck with it and reaped rewards beyond measure. A facilitator in her previous work, Gina wanted to help other women facing those same doubts and fears.
In Blue Water Women, Gina takes you from the initial dream of cruising to deciding if it’s for you, the practical realities and various ways you can do it. Lots of the wisdom comes from her 15 years aboard, but as well from the 40 very experienced women she interviewed about their own life aboard. There’s no one right way to cruise; you can make it your own style as these women’s experiences show.
This is an exceptional book for anyone thinking of cruising, men and women alike, but it particularly caters to the questions that so many women seem to have. Even with eleven years of cruising, I enjoyed reading it and found myself nodding in agreement as well as picking up tidbits of wisdom.
At 332 pages, Blue Water Women is a broad overview of everything you need to think of when contemplating cruising and a wonderful starting point if you “don’t even know what you don’t know.” Yes, you may not understand everything immediately, but it gives you a starting point from which to ask questions.
Blue Water Women is available through many online retailers, including print and Kindle versions on Amazon:
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Cori says
This looks like just what I need. Question: Are therepictures/graphics in this book? I get frustrated with my Kindle when there are images referenced and I need to access them readily while reading about them. Thanks!
Carolyn Shearlock says
Not many and they are mostly scenery pictures, not necessary for understanding the text. I read it on Kindle and was fine.