Stuff I Have Been Up To In The Past Month

In a global pandemic, when the world is rapidly changing around you in uncertain ways, there is collective trauma, grief and anxiety. Being a lifetime Jedi of these themes, I have learned many skills to harness this energy productively so as not to totally and consistently lose my shit. This is yet another example of how therapy works, and privilege. I have had the privilege of being able to pay for therapy, of being white, of having access to a really good education, of benefiting from many abilities both physical and cognitive, of being loved and supported by many, and more. The least I can do with my privilege is to give back where and when I can. It is a labor of love and justice. We are not free until we are all free.

I wrote about the wildly successful Sloop Tavern Yacht Club Women at the Helm buoy race in 48 north. Seeing 30 boats with happy badass sailors at the helm was a true gift. Eric had the quote of the day when he said, “I’ve never made so many women happy in one day in my life.” It was also his 50th birthday, my sexy curly haired silver fox. I plan on doing more of a personal write up on this race later.

I became the Editor-in-Chief for the Women Who Sail Newsletter. I published our first issue with the truly amazing and badass Charlotte Kaufman and Ayme Sinclair. I will also be doing a monthly “Dear Skipper Jenn” write up. You can access my first piece on inclusion and then need for women’s events on the blog. Issue 2 was published 9/8/20 and I wrote about what to expect for mental health this fall and how to cope in this fucking pandemic.

I wrote this piece on the US Sailing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion panel for 48 North. I highly recommend folks watch this panel and take action in your local clubs. They also have an LGBTQ panel coming up on 9/10/20. It is amazing to see such a large organization step up into the work and I am inspired by all the folks making it happen.

I made this video for the STYC single handed regatta Eric participated in. I believe I should get a best girlfriend in the world award for it. I very much felt like a high school girl following him around while he played sports all day. GO ERIC! I totally made out with him later.

I started moderating the Women Who Sail LGBTQ and a new Pacific Northwest subgroup, while continuing to help with the main group. I was proudly involved with their mission statement being updated to be explicitly anti-racist and anti-sexist, stating those are not politics but issues of human rights.

I helped Eric with this new WATH distance event that local badass women sailors requested. I made this kick ass promo video and logo. People need to give Yacht clubs more props on how much effort it takes to run a race, that shit is complex and time consuming. Thanks STYC!! They are also looking for volunteers on the board.

I did my fifth podcast for Buckland’s Mental Health and Well Being series. The title is How to Cope with Constant Change.

I think 8 of you actually read it, and a handful follow on social media, but I have continued my quirky Surreal Sailing Stories saga. This has been the stuff getting me through the hard times. It’s delightfully bad in that good way, like any excellent 1970’s B rated sci-fi fantasy flick. I have no idea what will happen next or day to day in it, just like 2020.

I still have an overfull caseload, trying to support many Moms and kids going back to school in a pandemic. I am doing it all telehealth for now and possibly forever. I am dreaming up ways to eventually sail and work.

I am doing more business coaching contracts this fall, creating positive culture change through psychological safety and teaching emotional intelligence in management and organizations. All of this writing and larger systemic work helps me in my day to day individual work. Most of the stressors that folks carry in the US has to do with the broken system around us. If we want to be truly well in our lives, we need to create healthy community and institutions. I greatly admire folks trying to implement that out there.

I am slowly working on the boat, trying to get some things done before the rain, like paint my decks. Someone also slammed into my boat and chipped the gel coat off her butt really bad, so I have to fix that soon. I am dreaming of a dodger to help cover the cockpit when the sky is as wet as the water come October.

Lastly in this past month, I didn’t lose my mind, although I have lost sleep and upped my anti-anxiety meds. Thanks for all of your support of the work I do out here in the world. We are in it together friends. May we all sail in peace.