Can Solo Women Cruisers Feel Safe?

[s/vAngel]

Originally Posted by Jace

I'm sorry to say, women ARE at greater risk and danger than men when they are alone on a boat, or anywhere for that matter. Much to the consternation of the PC'ers, it's true. They are weaker, their bones and muscles are smaller, they aren't as robust and tough as men, and they can't take the physical punishment to the body like men can. They are easier to break. Sorry again if some of you are offended at that ... take it up with God.

You're assuming that ALL people of female gender are weaker and smaller than male gender??? Typically, females are smaller than men, but there are exceptions when it comes to the real world. Also, active sailing women tend to be physically fitter and have more endurance than the norm. No one's "offended" at the reality of this, but do realize that some women, especially cruisers, are actually stronger than some men. I never had trouble when brute strength is needed (but this isn't the norm, I realize). One time, I had to deal with men who couldn't handle a boat crewing during a race or weigh the anchor by hand- so the strength thing can go both ways.
Though I get really self conscious because my shoulders are wider than my too-skinny hips and even my mom has called my upper arms "gross", this has become a blessing for some good, rugged solo-sailing and intimidating would be attackers. I don't lift weights, but maybe that would be a good thing for women cruisers to doo to.
Rebecca

[Jace]

Originally Posted by s/vAngel

You're assuming that ALL people of female gender are weaker and smaller than male gender??? Typically, females are smaller than men, but there are exceptions when it comes to the real world. Also, active sailing women tend to be physically fitter and have more endurance than the norm. No one's "offended" at the reality of this, but do realize that some women, especially cruisers, are actually stronger than some men. I never had trouble when brute strength is needed (but this isn't the norm, I realize). One time, I had to deal with men who couldn't handle a boat crewing during a race or weigh the anchor by hand- so the strength thing can go both ways.
Though I get really self conscious because my shoulders are wider than my too-skinny hips and even my mom has called my upper arms "gross", this has become a blessing for some good, rugged solo-sailing and intimidating would be attackers. I don't lift weights, but maybe that would be a good thing for women cruisers to doo to.
Rebecca

You're right Rebecca, there are some women as strong or stronger than men, but as you said, those are the exceptions. And those exceptions PROVE the rule. For all the women that are as strong, tough, and physically robust as men, they need not worry about attackers. For the other 99% of women, they should, in my opinion, heed my words.

By the way, I'm glad you are one of the exceptions. That's one less woman out there that I have to be concerned about. I do so admire women like yourself who have the courage to sail on their own, especially the weaker, smaller ones. If I was that size, I'm not sure I'd have the guts to do it.

[Jetexas]

Stop shaving your armpits and leave a big box of Kotex sitting out on top of the cabin - that would keep me away. lol

[fishwife]

I arrived here wanting to start a new thread concerning women's safety afloat. As always, someone has done it, had experience of, or, etcetera. We, four women with various backgrounds, intend leaving the UK for Chile and points beyond in 2010. One of our crew has a military background were she worked in undercover operations in domestic areas where terrorism was a day to day fact of life (think Northern Ireland). The principal idea she has drummed into our heads is that we, (civilized women OR men) tend to not want to cause our attackers permanent damage. You can take it from there. IMHO disable them which ever way.

[Jace]

Originally Posted by fishwife

I arrived here wanting to start a new thread concerning women's safety afloat. As always, someone has done it, had experience of, or, etcetera. We, four women with various backgrounds, intend leaving the UK for Chile and points beyond in 2010. One of our crew has a military background were she worked in undercover operations in domestic areas where terrorism was a day to day fact of life (think Northern Ireland). The principal idea she has drummed into our heads is that we, (civilized women OR men) tend to not want to cause our attackers permanent damage. You can take it from there. IMHO disable them which ever way.

I agree entirely, fishwife. That's why I like the martial art I proposed. It's very brutal, no mercy. If executed properly, it puts the attacker in the hospital and many times, makes him a cripple for life or even kills him if it unfortunately comes to that. Anyone that would attack a woman or a child to harm them needs to be permanently put out of commission, rendered incapable of another attack for ever! Unfortunately, our judicial system has abdicated that responsibility. Your safety lays not in the law's hands, ladies. It lays in yours. Make sure those hands are capable of crippling, or whatever is necessary, the animal that has no respect for women, the law, or the life of others.

If men were more honorable, the scum that does these things would be too afraid to attempt such a crime.

[Pblais]

If men were more honorable, the scum that does these things would be too afraid to attempt such a crime.

If women were able to kill as easy as men - they would. I don't see the desire as that much different. Equalizing the playing field won't reduce the violence just increase the number of players. When more people attempt to kill - more people die. The score card based on sex is not a measure of the well being of the society.

You need to reword your observation. "If more people were Honorable - they would be." The fact that some are not does not lessen the count (greater by far) of those that are. You must be a "glass mostly empty person".

[Jace]

Pblais

No, not a 'glass half empty' person, just one who holds the truth as sacred and all important.

I must disagree with you on your opinion, "If women were able to kill as easy as men - they would."

No, they wouldn't.

Thanks be to God, Samuel Colt make all men - and women - equal. Women can kill as easy as men. All they need is a gun. A gun store will sell a gun to a woman as quick as a man. Yet 95% of gun crime is perpetrated by men.

No, the reason women don't kill as much as men isn't because they aren't as big or as strong as men, it's because they don't have the bloodlust that men do. It's testosterone. We are just a warrior sex, they are a nurturer sex, simple as that.

I told a female friend of mine one time, Women need men to protect them. If it weren't for us, I said, you'd all be in big trouble. She very cleverly replied, Yes, that's true, but all we need protection from is men!

Not a lot of women in prison for rape or other violent crime, is there?

[Pblais]

No, not a 'glass half empty' person, just one who holds the truth as sacred and all important.

You still need to be able to count. Lots of people and lots of them are true. It's far easier to claim the truth than to know it.

[Jace]

I don't claim to always know the truth. I just claim to always seek it.

[s/vAngel]

Hello again. Sorry about getting a bit bristly about your generalizations. I'm not an exception for anything and am VERY average. Most guys are taller than me. (I'll attach some unflattering photos), but I guess I just got worried that women who might be interested in cruising may get discouraged by being told that they, 99 percent of them anyways, are supposedly "weak". Many pockets of this society raise women to be demure and has them believing that they are fragile and can't excell at anything phycial. They grow up believing this hog wash and these beliefs limit their lives. It's biologically true that we're smaller than men on average, but that's no reason for a lady to feel discouraged and not follow her dreams. There's plenty of women athletes to prove that ladies aren't going to break like a piece of glass if they want to do something physically demanding. What surprises me is a woman's endurance when she really believes in herself. (I have a few friends who are female athletes, one is BIG, and they are wonderful inspirations to all of us ladies and stronger than most men I know!) Those men with delicate egos don't like them, but, tough.
I know of no "small, weak" sailing ladies that you speak of. Maybe it's just the different sailing areas we're in.

[Jace]

s/vAngel -

No no, you misunderstand. I didn't say women are weak. I said they are weaker than men. I don't want any women to think they can't do something, or are too fragile for a task or project that they want to tackle. But at the same time, to tell a woman that she is just as physically capable as a man is insane.

What if I said, Hey, sure, I'm a man. But that doesn't mean that I can't hear and repeat musical notes as well as women, by damned! THAT would be insane too. Why? Because, statistically, 8 out of 10 women can sing on key. Only 2 out of 10 men can. That doesn't mean those 8 tonally impaired men are lesser human beings. But it does mean that they are lesser than women when it comes to singing. And all the wishing and hoping and efforts to be politically correct won't change the fact that the majority of men are lesser singers that the majority of women. And likewise, wishing and hoping that women are physically capable of fending off an attacker just as well as a man is, forgive me, abject stupidity! Our PC society and "everybody's equal" culture seems to want to believe that. And because of such refusal to see the truth, to embrace reality, a woman may see herself as some TV style superwoman who can "Kick that man's ass" and be shocked that her punches to the guy's jaw hardly phased him, and surprised that his punch to her jaw has knocked her out!

A woman needs to know her limitations in order to be smart and compensate for them, instead of thinking she is a match for a man. Then, and only then, will she have a chance against these filthy predators. THAT'S what I'm saying.

By the way, you look very attractive.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Jace

... What if I said, Hey, sure, I'm a man. But that doesn't mean that I can't hear and repeat musical notes as well as women, by damned! THAT would be insane too. Why? Because, statistically, 8 out of 10 women can sing on key. Only 2 out of 10 men can ...

In which key?
We all have a natural range of about 8-12 notes where it feels relatively easy to sing. Men's voices usually sit an octave (eight notes) below women's. Once we recognize that not all songs were meant for our voice, at least not in the original key that demands we strain out of tune to reach the melody, that statistic might change.

BTW:

People who are tone-deaf can't detect differences in musical pitch, but usually have normal hearing and speech. Tone-deafness runs in families, and estimates of how many people have the problem range from 4 percent to 17 percent.

In the small study done in Boston, brain scans showed there was a difference in a particular brain circuit between those who were tone-deaf and those who weren't. Among the tone-deaf, researchers discovered there were fewer connections between two areas of the brain that perceive and produce sounds.

Tone Deafness: A New Disconnection Syndrome?
➥ Tone Deafness: A New Disconnection Syndrome? -- Loui et al. 29 (33): 10215 -- Journal of Neuroscience

➥ Tone-deaf people have fewer brain connections - life - 22 August 2009 - New Scientist

All it takes to turn women into men is a switch in the brain
➥ All it takes to turn women into men is a switch in the brain

[MarkJ]

The principal idea she has drummed into our heads is that we, (civilized women OR men) tend to not want to cause our attackers permanent damage. You can take it from there. IMHO disable them which ever way.

Maybe I'm on my own in this forum but I and we have never had to kill or maim or not really maim anyone during our travels.

Maybe you could just put away the belligerent attitude and live at one with the world?

The cruising life just ain't that dangerous!!

If on the 1:zillon chance you get bailed up why don't you just negotiate and give them the damn $100 VHF?

[hellosailor]

"why don't you just negotiate and give them the damn $100 VHF? "
Because that's pretty much the same thing as feeding dogs at the dinner table: It encourages them to become more aggressive repeat customers. Or feeding seagulls, which can lead to a huge flock stealing your entire picnic next time.

OTOH, if you can generously show them how to incorporate and form an IRS schedule 10(c)3 (?) charitable organization, you can then at least donate your wordly possessions ot them and get a tax break for having done so. Then you're "doing good" instead of encouraging thieves and marauders.

Maybe one doesn't have a spare $100 to replace that VHF with, again and again. Or maybe, it's the VHF, and then, you know, you're wife's kinda pretty, so's her grandma's wedding ring.

[Jace]

GordMay -
"That doesn't mean those 8 tonally impaired men are lesser human beings." Note that I said, Tonally IMPAIRED, GordMay. No one but you mentioned tone-deaf. And the key, the register, the song, the barometer reading, the color of socks the singer is wearing, none of that matters. If one cannot sing on key, then one cannot sing on key. It doesn not mean they are tone-deaf. It simply means that they cannot reproduce with their voice what they hear with their ears.

The statistic I spoke of stands. The study did not taint its results by throwing in difficult keys for their subjects. The particular keys used were appropriate to the participants involved. 8 out of 10 vs. 2 out of 10.

Let us take off the shabby and tattered cloak of political correctness, and don the warm, comforting - although sometimes heavy - robe of truth.