When we asked Richard about this, he gave us an answer we were all able to agree on. Because of the great lengths of time a Captain would spend at sea, it was common for him to take a piece of furniture from his home and have it modified to fit his vessel. That way he would have a piece of his home with him. And as Richard put it, while we could have easily built the chest of drawers, could we have built it so it would look like it didn’t belong on a boat?
Men not only spent a great deal of
time aboard, an intimate knowledge of the vessel they sailed was necessary. As I said earlier, a boat is alive. It has a soul. It also has character. Every boat is unique. Does she sail better on a port or starboard tack? How close can she beat to the wind? Is she exuberant running headlong into a gale or is she modest, preferring to skirt it and take it on her aft quarter and not show off? There was knowledge of a specific vessel in those days that still applies today. It can only be defined as intimate knowledge. A captain had to know his ship inside and out and become her partner, become one with her to truly make her perform as she was designed to do. Between two people it was through marriage that this kind of knowledge was learned and shared. Considering it was men of steel who entered into a “marriage” with ships of wood that were beautiful and fair, how could they be called anything else but “She”. A boat is christened. Outside of
people, what else do we hold a naming ceremony for and give a proper name? A boat is christened because she is a living, breathing entity. As a living, breathing entity, she can’t be referred to as it. Following the earlier train of thought, she certainly can’t be called “He,”so a “She” she must be. Take a look at a boat sometime,
especially the old time square riggers under full sail. Don’t her full sails remind one of a woman’s breast? And don’t men, in their weariness, seek the comfort of a woman’s breast? I much enjoy the poem “I Want You” by Arthur L. Gillom. In it he refers to his “senses seeking the haven of your breast”. Now stop and look at a sailor, no choice but to face a raging storm, white knuckled at the wheel of his ship, guiding her, coaxing her gently,
A woman is always
referred to as the fairer sex. Man has built nothing as fair as a boat.
feeling her response through the wheel into his hands, he responding to her accordingly. Is he at this time not being kept safe in her bosom? And when the storm has subsided, will he not seek
“the haven of her breast?” I am glad I have taken the time to sit
and collect my thoughts and write this out. It has just created a new thought in me, especially the last paragraph. When has a man ever felt safer than when being cradled into his mother’s breast? A man, or woman, needs to be able to feel that kind of security from the boat they are sailing. So whether it is from the security
of a mother’s embrace or the intimacy of a lover, when I am asked “Why is a boat called a she?” my answer is, “How could she not be?”
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Call today to schedule a convenient haulout time. Now featuring Martyr Cadmium Free Aluminum Anodes
Heated dry storage available in Bellingham, call for details
SEAVIEW WEST
At Shilshole Bay Marina
206-783-6550
west@seaviewboatyard.com
SEAVIEW NORTH
At Squalicum Harbor Marina
360-676-8282
north@seaviewboatyard.com
www.seaviewboatyard.com 48° NORTH, OCTOBER 2011 PAGE 39
SEAVIEW YACHT SERVICE FAIRHAVEN In Bellingham’s Fairhaven District
360-594-4314
fairhaven@seaviewboatyard.com
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