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SECURITY AND PERSONAL SAFETY
I am often asked, “Aren’t you afraid to be out here alone?” and the answer is “NO!” Am I careful and do I keep a low profile,
YES! But, afraid, NO!. I’ve yet to meet another sailor who has posed a threat or even given off bad vibes. Am I aware of
personal safety issues, yes, I am. When I consider trailering my boat to start with and think about “issues”.
When I first got Peapod, my West Wight Potter 15, I picked it up in Florida and towed it back to northern Michigan. That
involved many days of travel along the way and I used my little boat like a camper, staying in various places, sleeping
overnights in the boat. In the interest of personal safety, I didn’t stay in rest areas or service plazas, Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club
parking lots or other public places. I figured that they would not be as safe as a regular park or campground. One time towing
another boat I got stuck with a trailer with lights problems at dark and ended up in a Sam’s Club lot with a bunch of NASCAR
fans. It was a perfectly safe and quiet (amazingly) place to sleep on the boat, but I haven’t made any sort of habit of doing that.
When I first started camping and cruising with my boat I was already an experienced canoe tripper and camper. The boat was a
big step up in camp structure compared to a tent. The hard shell of the boat’s cabin gave more privacy and comfort overall. I
have to use a stepladder to get on my boat so when I’m up for the night, the ladder ends up in the cockpit. No one can get
aboard without rocking the boat on the trailer and I’d be awake instantly. What then, if invaded? My first line of defense has
been the air horn. They produce quite a loud hoot and would most likely scare off anyone plus call others who might be around
to come investigate.
Freon horns give off cold enough jets of gas to freeze noses and eyes too! One of my biggest fears was to be locked into my
cabin and unable to get out. So, I don’t put anything by the companionway hatch to pin the cabin shut from the outside. On
Peapod I had a latch that I could use to lock it from the inside but not on my other boats, Raggedy Annie or Rascal. Raggedy
Annie had an escape hatch forward that I found comforting. Rascal doesn’t.
In marinas I have a roll shade I made of Sunbrella fabric that I put over the companionway and don’t bother to put in all the hatch
boards. The top slide is shut though and the entry is closed completely, plus bug nets are up at night regardless. Sometimes the
bottom board is in the companionway as a discouragement to mice should they hop off the dock and come onto the boat.
I don’t dress in sexy clothes nor do I call attention to myself in any way that might attract the wrong sort of folks or attention of
any kind. I’m polite and open to conversation, don’t drink alcohol, and don’t stay up late. I’m almost always in my bunk by dark
when the skeeters come out anyway. I use the pronoun; “We” rather than “I” in conversations and mostly I use my intuition or
antennas. The antennas are always out. If something feels wrong it usually is and some action has to take place. That means
reporting something or leaving. I once had to do that in a National Park and the rangers were very helpful kicking the “bad
dudes” out of the Park. Since the bad dudes were drinking beer and breaking a rule against it, the Rangers were able to deal
with my intuition without the bad guys knowing about it.
Keeping a low profile is good defense. I don’t carry a weapon like a gun (hole in the boat anyone?) or knife (I don’t know how to
knife fight anyway). I do have a big spotlight and they are very effective in someone’s face to blind them and let me get away!
The spotlight and horn are the first lines of defense after intuition and keeping a low profile.
The media make much of danger and the most dangerous thing we do is breathe. Being alive is dangerous and sailing is
dangerous, etc., etc, and going alone is dangerous…no one to help. Well, if I can’t help myself probably no one else can either.
Preventing trouble by anticipating what can go wrong and setting things up to NOT go wrong is best. It’s good seamanship and
lifewomanship.
The only times I have had trouble was when I was with other folks. Alone, I have had no trouble I couldn’t deal with. As I have
gotten older and less able or quick, I take added precautions with things like step ladders, walking on deck on the hard, hanging
onto things when moving on the boat and so on. I slipped at the marina last summer on the dock and hyper extended my knee,
which was sore all summer. I lived and it got better as I used it. It didn’t slow me down much and not for long. Fortunately it didn’
t interfere with sailing at all.
A friend’s daughter was going to make an across country trip by car. Her mother sent her to a self-defense class before the girl
went and she had a perfectly safe trip. Self-defense classes can empower women to become more confident in them selves,
help them to be more able to plan and avoid troubles as well as defend themselves.
It saddens me that women are so often vulnerable in our society and I don’t know why it continues. Do men hate women or
what? Why are we put into the position of having to even consider it? A Black gentleman I know and I compared notes on
personal protection at one time, and his experiences as a Black man rival women’s experiences of feelings of personal
vulnerability. That a person can’t live and do things like canoe, camp, hike, run or sail solo without incurring danger is a sad
statement about the world today.
Going solo? Go aware and informed about where you are at all times, what’s out there, who is there, where is the escape route
or routes? What will you do if? Where is a bail out point? Are there alternatives? What are they, where are they and how far
away are they?
Think it all out, all the details and trust your instincts. If intuitively you feel endangered, leave. Don’t go there. Get out of there.
You’ve made the plans ahead of time so just do it.
One time in the dark at about 0230 I awoke to wave action I didn’t feel comfortable in so I dressed, started the motor and upped
the anchor, drove to another place in the anchorage and re-anchored, went back to bed and slept soundly. The next day a
fellow sailor I know was amazed I could do that. A human’s vision is as good as a deer’s vision in the dark and that was enough
to let me go where I knew there was a good place to drop the hook again. Prior planning was involved. I had a bolthole, a place
to go, an alternate. At no time had I used a flashlight or other light. I didn’t want to mess up my night vision. By saving it, I was
able to “see” well enough to do what needed to be done. It is not the only time that has happened to me. I re-anchored one time
before, so it is twice in ten years of solo sailing that it has happened.
That time I had the whole anchorage to myself except for one other boat that was dragging down on my boat. I got out of his
way and left, re-anchoring a half-mile away where I knew it was good. I could see bottom that time, and put the anchor in a
sandy patch between the weeds. It was still there in the morning. The starlight was enough to let me see through the clear
water.
Your boat should be well found, everything in order and where you usually keep it. A messy boat is not a safe boat. The
discipline of orderliness and cleanliness is important to your safety while sailing as well as at anchor. If you have to swiftly dig
into ten possible places for a flashlight, you could well be in troubles you can’t cure by the time you find it. The same thing
applies for other potentially important items. Shipshape is not just an expression; things should be in good shape for the ship’s
welfare and safety as well as yours.
Make plans, do your homework, and use your mind. I am always amazed again and again by how folks come up to Lake Huron’
s North Channel and don’t do their homework. They don’t know the proper VHF channels for the marinas and the bridges. They
have not prepared for their own safety. They don’t look up and know the Canadian navigation markers and how they may be
different from their home waters. Would they do that if they were going to European waters? I doubt it. Canada, well it’s a
foreign country in some ways so preparing for that is important ahead of time.
Same with your personal safety. Prepare ahead of time to avoid problems, troubles and dangers. Use your intuition and trust
your feelings about situations and places, people and events. Be prepared for what you will do, an escape plan or two or three,
and carry on.
Live your life. Don’t go in fear. Just, prepare and go. Is there some risk? Yes, there is but it is then acceptable. And it is surely
safer than driving a car! Are there places I won’t go sailing solo? Yes, I probably wouldn’t go to big cities solo as freely as I go to
less populated places. Yet I know folks who regularly sail in those places of high population. They do okay and don’t have
issues to deal with.
Where is your comfort zone and can you handle it? Do you want to? Do you have to? Then, do the research, prepare and go.
Anne Westlund
westlund@lighthouse.net
I am often asked, “Aren’t you afraid to be out here alone?” and the answer is “NO!” Am I careful and do I keep a low profile,
YES! But, afraid, NO!. I’ve yet to meet another sailor who has posed a threat or even given off bad vibes. Am I aware of
personal safety issues, yes, I am. When I consider trailering my boat to start with and think about “issues”.
When I first got Peapod, my West Wight Potter 15, I picked it up in Florida and towed it back to northern Michigan. That
involved many days of travel along the way and I used my little boat like a camper, staying in various places, sleeping
overnights in the boat. In the interest of personal safety, I didn’t stay in rest areas or service plazas, Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club
parking lots or other public places. I figured that they would not be as safe as a regular park or campground. One time towing
another boat I got stuck with a trailer with lights problems at dark and ended up in a Sam’s Club lot with a bunch of NASCAR
fans. It was a perfectly safe and quiet (amazingly) place to sleep on the boat, but I haven’t made any sort of habit of doing that.
When I first started camping and cruising with my boat I was already an experienced canoe tripper and camper. The boat was a
big step up in camp structure compared to a tent. The hard shell of the boat’s cabin gave more privacy and comfort overall. I
have to use a stepladder to get on my boat so when I’m up for the night, the ladder ends up in the cockpit. No one can get
aboard without rocking the boat on the trailer and I’d be awake instantly. What then, if invaded? My first line of defense has
been the air horn. They produce quite a loud hoot and would most likely scare off anyone plus call others who might be around
to come investigate.
Freon horns give off cold enough jets of gas to freeze noses and eyes too! One of my biggest fears was to be locked into my
cabin and unable to get out. So, I don’t put anything by the companionway hatch to pin the cabin shut from the outside. On
Peapod I had a latch that I could use to lock it from the inside but not on my other boats, Raggedy Annie or Rascal. Raggedy
Annie had an escape hatch forward that I found comforting. Rascal doesn’t.
In marinas I have a roll shade I made of Sunbrella fabric that I put over the companionway and don’t bother to put in all the hatch
boards. The top slide is shut though and the entry is closed completely, plus bug nets are up at night regardless. Sometimes the
bottom board is in the companionway as a discouragement to mice should they hop off the dock and come onto the boat.
I don’t dress in sexy clothes nor do I call attention to myself in any way that might attract the wrong sort of folks or attention of
any kind. I’m polite and open to conversation, don’t drink alcohol, and don’t stay up late. I’m almost always in my bunk by dark
when the skeeters come out anyway. I use the pronoun; “We” rather than “I” in conversations and mostly I use my intuition or
antennas. The antennas are always out. If something feels wrong it usually is and some action has to take place. That means
reporting something or leaving. I once had to do that in a National Park and the rangers were very helpful kicking the “bad
dudes” out of the Park. Since the bad dudes were drinking beer and breaking a rule against it, the Rangers were able to deal
with my intuition without the bad guys knowing about it.
Keeping a low profile is good defense. I don’t carry a weapon like a gun (hole in the boat anyone?) or knife (I don’t know how to
knife fight anyway). I do have a big spotlight and they are very effective in someone’s face to blind them and let me get away!
The spotlight and horn are the first lines of defense after intuition and keeping a low profile.
The media make much of danger and the most dangerous thing we do is breathe. Being alive is dangerous and sailing is
dangerous, etc., etc, and going alone is dangerous…no one to help. Well, if I can’t help myself probably no one else can either.
Preventing trouble by anticipating what can go wrong and setting things up to NOT go wrong is best. It’s good seamanship and
lifewomanship.
The only times I have had trouble was when I was with other folks. Alone, I have had no trouble I couldn’t deal with. As I have
gotten older and less able or quick, I take added precautions with things like step ladders, walking on deck on the hard, hanging
onto things when moving on the boat and so on. I slipped at the marina last summer on the dock and hyper extended my knee,
which was sore all summer. I lived and it got better as I used it. It didn’t slow me down much and not for long. Fortunately it didn’
t interfere with sailing at all.
A friend’s daughter was going to make an across country trip by car. Her mother sent her to a self-defense class before the girl
went and she had a perfectly safe trip. Self-defense classes can empower women to become more confident in them selves,
help them to be more able to plan and avoid troubles as well as defend themselves.
It saddens me that women are so often vulnerable in our society and I don’t know why it continues. Do men hate women or
what? Why are we put into the position of having to even consider it? A Black gentleman I know and I compared notes on
personal protection at one time, and his experiences as a Black man rival women’s experiences of feelings of personal
vulnerability. That a person can’t live and do things like canoe, camp, hike, run or sail solo without incurring danger is a sad
statement about the world today.
Going solo? Go aware and informed about where you are at all times, what’s out there, who is there, where is the escape route
or routes? What will you do if? Where is a bail out point? Are there alternatives? What are they, where are they and how far
away are they?
Think it all out, all the details and trust your instincts. If intuitively you feel endangered, leave. Don’t go there. Get out of there.
You’ve made the plans ahead of time so just do it.
One time in the dark at about 0230 I awoke to wave action I didn’t feel comfortable in so I dressed, started the motor and upped
the anchor, drove to another place in the anchorage and re-anchored, went back to bed and slept soundly. The next day a
fellow sailor I know was amazed I could do that. A human’s vision is as good as a deer’s vision in the dark and that was enough
to let me go where I knew there was a good place to drop the hook again. Prior planning was involved. I had a bolthole, a place
to go, an alternate. At no time had I used a flashlight or other light. I didn’t want to mess up my night vision. By saving it, I was
able to “see” well enough to do what needed to be done. It is not the only time that has happened to me. I re-anchored one time
before, so it is twice in ten years of solo sailing that it has happened.
That time I had the whole anchorage to myself except for one other boat that was dragging down on my boat. I got out of his
way and left, re-anchoring a half-mile away where I knew it was good. I could see bottom that time, and put the anchor in a
sandy patch between the weeds. It was still there in the morning. The starlight was enough to let me see through the clear
water.
Your boat should be well found, everything in order and where you usually keep it. A messy boat is not a safe boat. The
discipline of orderliness and cleanliness is important to your safety while sailing as well as at anchor. If you have to swiftly dig
into ten possible places for a flashlight, you could well be in troubles you can’t cure by the time you find it. The same thing
applies for other potentially important items. Shipshape is not just an expression; things should be in good shape for the ship’s
welfare and safety as well as yours.
Make plans, do your homework, and use your mind. I am always amazed again and again by how folks come up to Lake Huron’
s North Channel and don’t do their homework. They don’t know the proper VHF channels for the marinas and the bridges. They
have not prepared for their own safety. They don’t look up and know the Canadian navigation markers and how they may be
different from their home waters. Would they do that if they were going to European waters? I doubt it. Canada, well it’s a
foreign country in some ways so preparing for that is important ahead of time.
Same with your personal safety. Prepare ahead of time to avoid problems, troubles and dangers. Use your intuition and trust
your feelings about situations and places, people and events. Be prepared for what you will do, an escape plan or two or three,
and carry on.
Live your life. Don’t go in fear. Just, prepare and go. Is there some risk? Yes, there is but it is then acceptable. And it is surely
safer than driving a car! Are there places I won’t go sailing solo? Yes, I probably wouldn’t go to big cities solo as freely as I go to
less populated places. Yet I know folks who regularly sail in those places of high population. They do okay and don’t have
issues to deal with.
Where is your comfort zone and can you handle it? Do you want to? Do you have to? Then, do the research, prepare and go.
Anne Westlund
westlund@lighthouse.net
