The Gals of the

Rule #1: Sailing should never unnecessarily impede socializing and passing of hors d’oeuvres.

By Lisa Beliveau

The 21’ custom sloop, Shady Lady,

has become well known on Seattle’s Lake Union and legend in the tales we tell of her adventures. “We,” in this case, is my all-gal sailing crew. On any given summer evening, plenty of other women will partake in Lake Union’s boat scene; a number will even have the helm. But frequently, the Shady Lady will be the only all-female-boat on the lake, and people tend to take notice. Now, it is probably safe to say that

sailing with all women is somewhat different from sailing with all men, and while I can’t speak for others, I can speak to how and why I’ve assembled this particular Shady Lady crew. Let me introduce: Julie is not only

crew; she’s my sister. She’s a former boat owner—though self-admittedly not an expert sailor. The maiden voyage on her sailboat, Temptress, a Newport 33, featured an unintended 180 in the marina upon departure, two groundings, and a dock line fouled in the prop. Quite a day’s work! Each time we ran aground, Julie released the wheel, backed away from the helm, and yelled, “You take it”! What Julie lacks in sailing

knowledge, she makes up for in enthusiasm for being afloat. When I say afloat, however, I mean floating

(not

h e a l i n g ) , in gentle b r e e z e s with good f r i e nds , good food, and sailorly beverages. On land, Julie

and I can argue about both the silly and the trivial. Inversely, on the water, we practically read each other’s minds—

48° NORTH, JUNE 2010 PAGE 44

and cut each other a lot of extra slack. One time, high winds were making what should have been a routine move off a fuel dock a potential disaster; after jumping away from the helm (again!) and making me take over, Julie instantly realized that I too needed help. Despite fear and lack of confidence to get ourselves out of our another self- induced predicament, we summoned the sister mind-meld, instantly reading each other’s cues, and managed, albeit in unorthodox fashion, with Julie working the throttle and transmission and me on the wheel, to spin her boat, Temptress, around in a tight space without requiring a single fender be used. Julie’s broad, white smile always

appears broadest on the water and when I picture her aboard, it’s with her dark, wavy hair tossed back in laughter. Time on the water may not have made Julie an old salt, but sailing brings out her very best. Anastasia, also known as A,

Annie, Animal, or Toots, is the self-appointed Galley Diva on my boat. No

one has been, nor ever will be, assigned to be the cook; we all bring food and beverages for the weekly floating cocktail party known as Duck Dodge. (There are some who actually think it’s a sailboat race.) But, if anyone on the crew is going to pull out all the stops and surprise the crew with a meal that goes way beyond the last-minute- grocery-stop fare of hummus, pita, and crackers and cheese, Anastasia is the one. No one asks her; no one commands her. Annie merely chooses to impart a special flair to our on board dining. Adding a special flair to life comes

naturally to Annie; whether making the stop at Archie McFee’s to dress us up for Mardi Gras Night, Tropical Night, or Toga Night – or putting together a floating champagne delivery system to encourage the judges to see the Shady Lady cross the finish line in a place other than dead last. Pam is the glue of our crew. She

is our yoga teaching, Zen master, who has more than once defused a sibling spat or an over zealous debate. Pam is always willing to go with the flow, which is exactly how she joined t h e c r e w t h e

in f i r s t p l a c e . While Julie, Anastasia,

and I were vacationing in the San Juans, Anastasia decided to check in with her friend Pam, who happened to be free over the Labor Day Weekend. A few arrangements were made, and just hours later, Pam stepped off a seaplane, boarded our dinghy, and was met with a waiting gin and tonic. Pam liked our style, so she signed on and has been part of the crew ever since.

Whether it’s gal

talk, Duck Dodge Committee Boat bribing, or putting together a cute outfit

for Pajama Night, “Pamelot”

Left to right: Lisa Beliveau, Pam Malcolm, Julie Beliveau, Anastasia Dunn.

is on board. When I think of Pam, I

think of her in a red, 70’s bell-bottomed, one-piece-number for Prom Night, or peeking (with crew-mate-in-crime,

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