The
GulfStreamer Race News
Tales of the GulfStreamer,
February Binnacle
by Katherine Hunter, crew S/V "Toki"
I am the only permanent female crewmember on the 51' SV
Toki skippered by HRYC member, Dennis Gorden. Early on in my crewing
days on Toki, I requested not to “go for a ride” but work
and be part of the team. Sailing a distance race isn't like a buoy race.
The first two rules when racing on Toki are that no one gets hurt and
the boat doesn't get hurt. No one lets their enthusiasm get in the way
of their better judgment. When you are 100 miles offshore, it is every
crewman's responsibility to ensure the safety and success of the boat.
Dennis ran down the list of crewmembers he was going
to have on Toki, seven men and me. I had already been racing with.Pat
Adsit and Deems Lecit, two of the regular crew. The rest of the men
on the GS crew list were either not regulars, or people Dennis had raced
with in the past; one even flew in from out of town. Other than then
Commodore, Dick Coughlin, I was certainly the least experienced crew
member on the list, even with more than two years of sailing under my
belt. And, by some sailors' standards, being a woman also counted against
me. I wanted to really be prepared for the Race.
Although I don't think gender should be a factor in being
crew, preparing for my first real distance race did present some unique
issues for me as a female. I wanted to make sure I could pull my weight
equally, so I hit the gym. I fully understand, that as a 5' tall female,
there is no way I will ever be as strong or able to lift as much as
say, Dennis or Pat or any of the rest of the seven-man crew. However,
knowing sailing isn't just brute strength, I worked for a couple of
months in the gym on my cardio and strength endurance. I could always
put another wrap on the winch to pull heavier loads, but I wanted to
be darn sure I could keep pulling.
Another unique issue I faced was what to wear? Privacy
during a race of any sort is not often possible. I knew I'd likely get
hot and sweaty as in any race, but I didn't want to sleep in wet clothes.
And, knowing we'd be hot-swapping bunks (someone wakes you to go on
watch and they take your place in the bed), I didn't want to embarrass
anyone or make any of the men uncomfortable by what I was wearing. Not
to mention, one needs to be able to go up on deck at any moment. I opted
for a bathing suit to wear instead of regular cotton under garments.
Men seem to be more comfortable seeing a woman in a bikini than in underwear
no matter how much or little it covers. Shorts and t-shirts were also
the clothing of choice, on watch and off.
I also had long curly hair at the time, which is not
really all that great when you are racing. So, I braided my hair into
two “Heidi” braids as our helmsman Deems called them. It
wasn't just a matter of keeping my hair neat, but fingernails, jewelry
and long hair can be dangerous on a sailboat, particularly when fatigue
sets in after a long race with little sleep -- especially on a sailboat
as large as Toki.
` During the race, we got into a good rhythm together
as a team early. Everyone was responsible for themselves as well as
the boat and we all seemed to work well together. I think I got the
designation as “den mother” stopping anyone from going on
deck at night without safety gear, or giving them a final “One
hand for you, one for the boat” reminder. When we came up on a
big storm nearing Charleston, I even quietly made sure P/C Coughlin
had his safety harness on correctly and that he was attached to the
boat…just in case. The guys joked about it, but I didn't mind
it.
Late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, as we were
nearing the finish, we were sailing up the channel in Charleston to
finish when we got into a tacking duel. The whole crew was up and on
deck, whether they were on watch or not. Gary Fulmer and I were on the
winches. As we tacked the boat, I'd pull the windward jib sheet taking
up the slack until I couldn't pull any further, and then Gary would
wrap and pull the winch until we were trimmed out. The lee side crew
would then switch sides with us to release the winch when the helmsman
called for it. Looking back on it, the role switch may sound odd, but
it was our watch, and everyone who was now up from their “off
watch” was pretty worn out. Besides, Gary and I got into a groove
and we were working really well together with the helmsman and foredeck
crew. Near the end of the channel, and the race, we were doing well
and I was really excited. Gary commented that he was getting winded,
so we switched places. He would pull in the slack from the windward
sheet until he couldn't pull any further and I'd winch in. The gym endurance
work definitely came into play for me at that point.
We finished hard and fast and we were all excited by our hard work and
efforts (Toki finished first in her class in '06, though we didn't know
it yet). After the race, a couple of our crew said to me that they'd
race anytime with me because even though I didn't have the experience,
I made up for it in enthusiasm and endurance. Maybe they were just being
nice.
I know I was a lot more comfortable with my role on the
boat because I prepared for the race so I would not just be considered
part of the crew, but actually be part of the crew. My advice to anyone
interested in racing, or new to a distance race like the GulfStreamer,
is to be prepared, ask questions, be safe, and try hard to be a viable
part of the crew.
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