Steady as She Goes: Women's Adventures at Sea

by Barbara Sjoholm (Editor), Tania Aebi (Contribution by), Jill Fredston (Contribution by)

Veteran seafarers and anyone who has dreamed of running away to sea in their very own boat or simply savored the smell of the salty air on the water’s edge will be inspired by this well-crafted and varied collection. Steady as She Goes is both a testament to women’s enduring relationship with the sea and a gripping and illuminating read.

Whether commercial fishing in Alaska’s unforgiving waters, racing tall ships off the coast of Australia, kayaking in the enchanting Sea of Cortez, or learning the antiquated mechanics of a New York City fireboat, these women work and play at sea, spinning harrowing adventure yarns and relaying quiet moments of revelation surrounded by the vastness of the ocean. This unique and long-overdue collection shatters once and for all the myth that the sea is solely the domain of men.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2003

About the author

I’m a writer of nonfiction, including memoirs (Blue Windows) and travel books (The Pirate Queen). As Barbara Sjoholm I have published essays and travel articles in The New York Times, Smithsonian, Slate, and American Scholar, as well as many other publications. My focus as a nonfiction writer has been on Scandinavia and the Indigenous Sami people of the Nordic countries (Black Fox, Palace of the Snow Queen). I also translate from Danish (By the Fire: Sami Folktales) and Norwegian (Clearing Out by Helene Uri).

As Barbara Wilson I have a long career as a mystery writer, with two series featuring lesbian sleuths, Pam Nilsen, a printer in Seattle, and the globe-trotting translator Cassandra Reilly. Gaudi Afternoon, with Cassandra, and set in Barcelona, was awarded a Lambda and a British Crime Writers Award and made into a film with Judy Davis and Marcia Gay Harden. After a bit of a hiatus, I've resumed writing mysteries with Cassandra Reilly. The latest is Not the Real Jupiter, with more to follow.

Reviews

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of women's adventures at sea just proves "the best man for the job is a woman"!

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often think of goodreads as a way of enticing others into reading the book reviewed. In this case I am just going to start with a paragraph from first essay and let it do most of the work.

“The full moon took a turn out of the clouds and cast a cool white light on the scene. My mouth fell open at the revelation; a black sea, screaming with whitecaps. On the peak of the swell, I stood and slowly turned around. In every direction, I was greeted by a vast, dark, never-ending ocean churned into a fury. Everywhere sharp, saw-tooth waves cracked and crashed against each other, flinging foam off their tops before curling over in folds of roiling surf. I had been operating in the dark. How I longed to be in the dark again.”

You want to read more, don't you? But if you are not into storms, don’t worry, this collection of essays covers kayaking in the Pacific Northwest, Boston ferries, fishing boats off of Alaska, and following Steinbeck’s route in the Sea of Cortez. The only one I would avoid is “Survival at Sea” by Deborah Scaling Kiley. I heard the entire story on The Moth, and the essay in this book starts in the middle and, frustratingly, also ends in the middle.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

These essays run the gamut from recreational sailing and boating to professional fishing, sailing, and boating. I've been a strictly recreational sailer for over 50 years, meaning that whenever I can get a boat, I'll sail, but I've never had the least desire to get out of sight of land. In one of the stories, the kayaker who goes for days along the coast says something to the effect that people who think they are going to master the ocean or the elements are kidding themselves. It is not something anyone ever masters. As a girl growing up on the water, respect for the water was drummed into me. I believe I have done everything there is to do under the water, on the water, in the water, but respect for what water can do to us puny humans will stay with me forever, thanks to those early lessons. So, no, I don't ever want to get out of sight of land and these stories, almost every one of them, reinforced that decision, some more than others. I started on the Atlantic coast and will end on the Pacific coast, once again with water at my front yard and a sail just around the corner. That's enough for me, but it was delightful to read about so many women on the water and what their lives are like.

[Ann Amadori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like longer stories. Some of these short ones left me hanging. For example, Survival at Sea starts in the middle of a crisis. The boat is sinking and everyone just barely gets off. In the end, they are still in the Zodiac, it is night time and they are surrounded by sharks, they are freezing cold and the light from the boat looking for them has gone the other direction. No indication why they were there or how they were rescued or even if everyone was saved. The two authors were but the 3 men? Many of the stories were memoirs, lessons learned the hard way. All interesting, though. I can't imagine wanting to go sea kayaking or sailing in dangerous conditions. To each his own.

[Bethany H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short memoir pieces. I was feeling a craving for the sea and sailing, and this hit the spot. As with any collection, some stories are better than others, but there were a few that were exceptionable; a story about a woman kayaking her senior mother, a harrowing solo-sail through a storm, and a family of fishing boat 'queens' were my favorites.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this out from the library back in December/January, but at that point I just had too many books to read and read one essay and returned it. Now that I'm learning sailing, I figured I'd pick it up again. Am glad I did. Some good essays in here. Wish I had it in my collection.

[Chantel O'Shepa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully and smoothly written and portrayed on such a relatable level especially coming from a girl who was practically raised sailing, boating, anything by the sea. Definitely a favorite and one of the very few I'll take the time to read again.

[Das · Rating 3 out of 5]

Women's tale of life at sea and how she survived.

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

B Mostly fishing, a lot of repetition among the stories, some of which are mediocre

[Sue Hacking · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reads. Fun, fast-paced read, and covering lots of on the water adventures!