Any of You Gals Write in Spanish

[Mexdon]

Hi all you sailing gals, I'm new here and would be interested to know if any of you girls can write in Spanish....reason being my girlfriend who wants to cruise with me is Mexican, doesn't speak English, has never sailed before and I would like her to be able to read first hand what she can expect as the first mate on a cruising yacht.....the good and the bad, the funny and the sad. so if anyone out there can help I would "Luv" you forever.

[David M]

There are many English to Spanish translators on the internet and also free lessons to help you learn Spanish.

[Mexdon]

Thanks David, I know there are many free Spanish translators on the internet and the translations are mostly very literal and not correct. I speak fairly fluent Spanish as it is our mode of communication in Mexico and the only language with which I speak to my girlfriend. What I am looking for is real live written from women who have had the experience. There must be some out there somewhere. I translate a lot of what is there but it is not the same.

[zeehag]

mebbe ye dont want a sailorette to "splain, lucy" to her-- she may scare off.....
besides is just like living in a house only on sea and a lot smaller. and more motion.....and less water, even tho there is more of it.....and no chickens...unless ye has a multihull, thenye has room for that. and the boat has sails to manage.....and ye have to steer but isnt like a car.....
es como viviendo en su casa. solamente en el mar

[Island Girl 33]

Mexdon, that's great that you want to share the cruising experience with your friend in Spanish. Spanish, like the other Latin-based languages, can't be beat for expressing love and emotions. However, English excels at expressing technology and for brevity.

The only way to truly acquire a second language, as you know from living in Mexico, is immersion. Unfortunately, the romantic idea of "you teach me Spanish and I'll teach you English" rarely works in the real world since the friend/companion role is difficult to mesh with the teacher/athority role. But of course it can't hurt to have a patient friend who is willing to correct you. And if there is chemistry, this sharing of cultures (language is the key to any culture) will certainly enrich the relationship.

My first recommendation would be to get a bilingual dictionary of nautical terms. My favorite is Diccionario Nautico en 10 Idiomas by Barbara Webb, Michael Manton and Cruising Association. There are others as well but this dictionary will help you say things like bilge, mainsail and starboard correctly (in case you were wondering, "pantoque", "vela mayor" and "estribor").

Start by telling your friend something like: "Quisiera que me acompanes en mi barco de vela para navegar y explorar el caribe juntas. Mi yate cuenta con cocina, bano y dos camarotes (I'm guessing at the number of cabins your boat has). La vida abordo a veces no es facil pero permite a uno unas experiencias inolvidables y enriquecedoras. Si te gusta conocer nuevos lugares y vivir momentos intensos y hermosos entonces te va a encantar este estilo de vida."

Buena suerte,
Mark C
Island Girl

[Island Girl 33]

BTW, if you are a male, then change the "juntas" to "juntos." For some reason I was assuming that you were female too. Let me know if she decides to go with you!

IG

[Mexdon]

IG My girlfriend is already sold on living aboard I just want her to get some feel from the women who have done it...hardships faced and overcome so she knows she is not the only one "suffering".... info given from a woman's point of view to a woman. My spoken Spanish is pretty good but thank you for the info on the dictionary I will get it ASAP.

[zeehag]

finding a strong guy to haul water when solo is the hard part i find..LOL....i have asailors spanish dictionary. is good for repairs.... but i dont have a try to convince the lady to sail rtw with me dictionary..LOL

[Boracay]

This is for a girlfriend living on a cruising yacht, right?

So, forget the Spanish. Work on your body language recognition, or even better, mental telepathy.

And if the stories about Mexican girls are true, learn to duck.

And you'd better find out what bribes work, fast...

[KathyParsons]

Hi Mexdon,
If you or your girlfriend would like to email me, I could write her back in Spanish. I can also probably connect her with a few other women cruisers who are native Spanish-speakers. I have seen some blogs written by native Spanish-speakers but would have to look again. ...And a rather funny book on cruising written by a woman from Barcelona, Spain.....

Suerte,
Kathy Parsons
kathy@forcruisers.com
cruiser and author, Spanish for Cruisers

[Mexdon]

Many thanks Kathy Parsons, I have just seen your post and told her about it, tomorrow or over the weekend she will write to you. This is truly going to give her a real insight to sailing and the sailing life from a woman's point of view....I am very grateful thank you.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by KathyParsons

Kathy Parsons
kathy@forcruisers.com
cruiser and author, Spanish for Cruisers

I recommend Kathy's website and book
Complete info on SPANISH FOR CRUISERS Second Edition - Features, Reviews, Sample Pages, Sales Info

[dpons]

As a native Spanish speaker, I a bit confused about what is your goal.

1. If you want a sailing mate, you need good communication. Otherwise things will get complicated. Friendship or love will not fix this. Neither will a N-pages boat life manual in Spanish.

2. Another approach is that you learn Spanish. Being in Mexico opens up good opportunities for finding teachers and practicing.

3. Boat terminology is a bitch. Very few words sound similar in both languages. I find it difficult to to sail with some people that share my language because the nautical names don't mean a thing for them.

4. Your friend could pose the questions she has in the following BBS: Foro Náutico Deportivo - La Taberna del Puerto. It's one of the most active forums in any language, and there are many women there that can share nautical experiences.


Good luck

[Mexdon]

To clarify some confussion that has been misinterpreted in this thread I will try and clarify my objective.
I am a New Zealander, I have lived in Mexico for 22 years. My permament partner (girlfriend) is Mexican. I speak English and Spanish. She speaks Spanish. We have been together for many years so we communicate well. I have been sailing all my life she has never sailed. We have made the decission to buy a boat and start the life of sailing cruising and living aboard. My objective is for my girlfriend to be able to communicate with women in Spanish so she can get advice the good and the bad and learn from women who have been through the transisition of land to water. Comments from what men think does not carry water they look at things from a male point of view women have different needs and criterias in life. Quite simply. I do not need a dictionary I am not looking for a partner, I do not need advice on how to treat her I just want her to have contact with Spanish speaking women who cruise and live aboard. Thus the title of this thread.

[Jimbo485]

We are an Aussie / Chilean couple where the primary language aboard is Spanish. It is pretty much your situation (19 years in Chile for me) but we have cruised together quite a bit already and we have a bilingual kid in the mix. We are in Curacao now and will be in Mexico around Feb or Mar 2012. Your gf can contact my Chilean "media naranja" thru liliana_leyton AT hotmail etc. Are you on the Pacific or Caribbean coast of Mexico?