B.J. Taylor

What does a woman do when she’s burned out from working in corporate America and from heading a rape crisis center? For BJ Taylor the answer was to turn to the wind and adventures through sailing.

In 1979 on a trip to California, BJ sailed for the first time. Although she had been familiar with power boats in her childhood, BJ found herself in tune with nature on a sailboat. She was intrigued by the wind, the water and the currents ---things not under her control.

BJ and her husband, Robert, bought a 30’ sailboat with other partners. They would pack the boat and leave for two weeks going wherever the wind took them.

BJ earned her captain’s license and before long her passion for sailing became a business. She provided charters of one or more days for 5 women at a time. The women indicated how much they appreciated learning from another woman rather than from an often impatient male partner. Often women chartered a boat with friends at a pivotal time in life such as a 40th or 50th birthday. They shared their stories with each other and from the sailing experience gained self esteem as they tested their self sufficiency. BJ says that women charters are powerful experiences --- seeing the city from a distance, being one with the wind and the women knowing they are self-sustaining.

In 1999 BJ and two other women sailed from Chicago to the Illinois River, down the Mississippi, on to Florida, the Keys and the Bahamas and then down the East Coast. Their nine month journey included many challenges and required sheer perseverance. Most of the ports or landings either weren’t open or didn’t have stores so getting groceries was a feat. They would go ashore and trek quite a distance to find limited food supplies that would fill their backpacks. People along the way were astounded to see an all women crew.

BJ no longer has her own boat but her sailing business has grown in many directions. She gives lessons. She co-ordinates different kinds of excursions depending on whether the clients want to be tourists or be active in the responsibilities of sailing. BJ is a captain for independent businesses that enjoy time on the water and is co-captain for others. If you are interested in a charter with BJ, she is available at 1-877-578-SAIL.

BJ also delivers boats from Chicago to other points in Michigan or Indiana. In the first picture in this article she is delivering a boat in the Chesapeake, from Annapolis to the southern tip 200 miles to come out into the ocean. This is usually not done by women so BJ has to prove herself over and over to dock people and men at the boat yards. She says that this requires her to be on top of her game to prove that she knows what she’s doing. It sometimes means pushing herself through fear to prove a point.

BJ spends her winters in the Bahamas on Paradise Island living in a tent and teaching yoga or doing whatever is needed to keep the Ashram running. This particular Ashram is Hindu based – run by Israeli’s and it honors Hindu, Christian and Jewish holidays. Women can go there alone—live cheaply, work if they can commit to a month of time and live in a tent. This is an option that many people do not know they have. The Ashram is also a place to meet a very interesting international group of people.

This year BJ is going to spend two months beginning in mid-January in the South of India with a woman she met in the Bahamas last year. They will travel the east coast of Chennai for three weeks, then to Triumvurumdum to the Sivananada Ashram to work with the yoga training program for five weeks, many hours a day. BJ says it’s a good way to be out of the Chicago winters during the worst months.

BJ completed her WWTW in 1998 at House in the Wood. She has been with the same Empowerment group for 10 years. She has staffed the weekend and she helped with the organization of the a WWI/MKP conference in Chicago.

Louise Lovdahl
(WWTW Oct. 1993, Lake Delavan)

Email: ashiko47@sbcglobal.net