Attending a boating course with no boat?
“Why not?” said my Dad, whose love of all things nautical passed from father to daughter during a childhood rich in boating adventures. “You need to know what you’re doing from day one and you will enjoy it regardless of whether or not you buy a boat.”
And that’s how I – an aspiring boat owner with no actual vessel at my disposal - ended up attending Boating Basics with Wild Chix last October. As I walked into the Tauranga Sport Fishing club for that first course, little did I appreciate just what fun awaited me and how integral boating would become for my whole family in a comparatively short space of time.
Because in the last five months, not only have my boat ownership goals been realized (whoop!) but I’ve gone on to attend two more Wild Chix courses: Boating Boot Camp (January in Auckland) and Intermediate Boating for Women (March in Tauranga). Nothing like having the full set at your disposal!
Lack of boat aside, I can remember having what in hindsight seem like completely ridiculous thoughts in my head prior to that first course. Stupid superficial stuff like what should I wear? Do I need to dress a certain way to fit in with whatever the female boating bunch is? It was all so new.
What was abundantly clear from the outset is the importance Isabell and Shanel place on creating a genuinely welcoming and safe environment for all. It is the Wild Chix way. No question is silly; women can, and should, take the helm (literally); and everything required to do so is as achievable for ladies as it is for boating blokes. It’s the epitome of empowerment and exactly what I needed. As it turns out I wasn’t the only non-boat owner in the Boating Basics bunch and anything went, from swearing like a sailor to perfectly manicured nails.
Boating Basics was perfect for dipping my toe in the water. Stored somewhere deep in my mind, I had some boating knowledge as a result of my childhood adventures but it had mostly been learning by watching, not doing. The course reminded me of what I already knew, and filled in the missing pieces in the puzzle. Boat ownership no longer felt so ridiculous.
Sure enough, we bought a powerboat just weeks later. No going back now! Summer was a great time of year to get the boat down to the Rotorua lakes and apply what I’d learned in the ‘classroom’. Turns out we made most of the mistakes Isabelle had mentioned at Boating Basics, and no amount of practice was perfecting my ability to back a trailer or berth a boat after a fun day out. Time to head to Auckland for Boating Boot Camp.
There we were in the beautiful January sun at Okahu’s Outboard Boating Club, an entirely different bunch of women but with the very same welcoming and safe atmosphere. If Boating Basics provided a good grounding, this was definitely a step up in the very best way. We were tying knots, backing a trailer, launching a boat and berthing it with the best of ‘em. Women right at the helm, hands on the wheel and out there doing it. I loved every minute. And thanks to Isabell and Shanel’s endless patience and helpful hints, I found myself backing a trailer and berthing with greater ease. I’m pleased to report that neither of these necessary activities now raise my heart rate in the way they once did.
As my confidence has grown, so too has my ambition and we’re itching to also get out on the ocean in the beautiful Bay of Plenty. But not without first completing the Intermediate Boating course, which is how I found myself heading back to the Tauranga Sport Fishing Club last week. Greeted like a friend, I felt completely at home and enjoyed a fabulous evening taking my boating know-how to the next level. It delivered everything I wanted to learn, from reading charts to fuel management and forecasts. Suddenly Motiti Island, off the coast near our home in Papamoa, seems within reach!
Who knows where our boating adventures will take us. Not knowing is actually part of the fun. What I do know is that Wild Chix has played a fundamental role in the distance I’ve covered to date. Sure there has been transfer of knowledge, upskilling and newfound understanding of all things boating related, but there’s also been endless encouragement, countless confidence boosts and a ready welcome to this cool community. The courses have helped me rediscover a pursuit I really enjoy and now I’m giving my own kids the adventures on water that I once loved as a child. We’ve taken visitors out to share in the fun and even had some luck in a fishing competition. When I’m out on the water, I couldn’t be happier.
As it turns out, my Dad was right on both counts. When it comes to boating, you do need to know what you’re doing. And when it comes to Wild Chix, you will enjoy it… and then some.