“Mother Ocean. I have always been drawn to her but my true passion came to life about 10 years ago when I first learned to dive and discovered the magical, mystical, beautiful and sometimes strange world beneath the surface. Then I tried surfing and I remember the rush from when I had even the tiniest wave grabbing my surfboard and I didn’t fall off the board.
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It wasn’t long after that that I started sailing. I absolutely fell for it, so much that I now live on the water with my husband and our little son. The freedom I felt seeing the horizon in front of me was exhilarating but the learning curve of sailing was also steep and sometimes dark and miserable. I asked myself if I had what it takes to be a sailor. There were moments when the winds were so strong that I wondered if the boat would actually break or when I‘ve been really seasick and wanting to sell the boat. But as soon as I came ashore it didn’t take long until I was back out there again.
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The feeling I got standing behind the helm, being able to take the boat basically anywhere, made me so genuinely happy that a dream of adventure was born. It started a spark inside of me that would change my life more than I would ever have guessed. And the moments where I felt free and strong gave me the power to push forward through the moments where I felt exactly the opposite.
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Since then I’ve learned how rewarding but also challenging and hard work it is to follow ones dreams and make them a reality. I’ve faced and overcome many of my fears. I’ve also learned that there are too many men thinking that women aren’t as good sailors as them or that tolerates a woman saying she’s the captain;
(which is why I’m always the one behind the helm when we go into harbours or anchorages. At sea it’s sometimes me, sometimes my husband.)
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I am a #womanofthewater and I know I’m far from alone. There are so many other kickass women out there taking up space in the big blue that I hope will share their stories too in this campaign about empowering us women on the water.” - @knotvikings
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Tag a #womanofthewater in your life and learn how sharing your story can enter you to win a kickass prize package! (Surfboard included)