I AM 5 FEET TALL 108LB. 28-YEAR-OLD FEMALE. I’VE BEEN THIS WAY FOR MOST OF MY LIFE. đŸ˜‰
YET, PEOPLE CAN’T SEEM TO GET OVER THIS!!
IN MY WORK TRAVELS, PEOPLE ARE OFTEN SURPRISED WHEN MEETING ME (OR EVEN IN DISBELIEF!) THAT I AM THE CAPTAIN. “HOW COULD IT BE?” “YOU’RE SO PETITE!” (DO I CARRY THE BOAT ON MY SHOULDERS?) “YOU’RE SO YOUNG!” “YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE A CAPTAIN! TO ME?”
PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY WOULD SAY “WOW A FEMALE CAPTAIN, HOW COOL, HOW DID YOU DO IT?” OR “WE’RE PROUD OF YOU FOR DOING THIS!” AS A FEMALE CAPTAIN, I’M CONSTANTLY COMPLIMENTED AND CONGRATULATED ON BEING …MYSELF.
FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS IN TAKING COMMAND OF MY VERY FIRST VESSEL, I WAS HYPED ABOUT IT, AS ANYONE IS WHEN THEY TAKE ON A MAJOR CAREER STEP. I APPRECIATED THE SUPPORT AND I THOUGHT ‘HOW GREAT IS IT TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR ACCOMPLISHING A GOAL THAT I SET BY BEING GRANTED THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITIES AND MATCHING THEM WITH HARD WORK.’
AFTER MY FIRST YEAR AS A CAPTAIN, THE HYPE THAT I FELT WAS LONG-FADED AND I JUST WANTED TO GET ON WITH THE DAMN THING. I WASN’T DOING ANYTHING PARTICULARLY EARTH-SHATTERING I WASN’T THE BEST BY ANY MEANS. I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIND MY WAY AND GAIN EXPERIENCES IN MY CAREER PATH.
BUT EVEN WHEN I DUG DEEPER IN MY YACHTING JOURNEY, THE SEXIST PATRONIZING NEVER STOPPED. IN FACT THE MORE EXPOSURE I GAINED TO INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS (FROM SHIPYARD MANAGERS TO BROKERS TO DOCK-MASTERS TO CLIENTS TO AGENTS TO CAPTAINS AND CREW) EXEMPLIFIED THIS. TO THIS I SAY:
“BURN THE BOYS CLUB TO THE GROUND AND PISS IN THE ASHES”
LET’S BRING IT BACK TO THE BASICS: WHAT DO YACHT CREW ACTUALLY DO? WELL, NOT A SIMPLE ANSWER: WE WEAR A LOT OF HATS. ONBOARD MY VESSEL, WE ARE 3 CREW: A CAPTAIN, A MATE, AND A CHEF. WE WORK AS A TEAM, WE ARE ALL WELL-ROUNDED AND WELL-VERSED IN NORMAL HAPPENINGS OF THE VESSEL, AND WE DO WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP THE MISSION “FLOATING SMOOTHLY”. WE DELIVER THE VESSEL WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE TO MEET OUR CLIENTS, WE PROVISION FOR THEM THE BEST FOOD AND WINE, WE SHOW THEM THE BEST CRUISING THE PLACE HAS TO OFFER, WE SERVE THEM DINNER OR TAKE THEM FISHING OR SNORKELING OR TO A BEACH PICNIC. THEN THEY LEAVE AND WE RESET FOR THE NEXT CLIENT. WHEN THEY ARE AWAY, WE PERFORM ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON THE SYSTEMS, WE LOOK FOR PROJECTS TO UPGRADE AN EVER-CORRODING SALT-WATER ENVIRONMENT, AND WE ADMINISTRATE THROUGH METICULOUS LOGS, ACCOUNTING, AND CONTRACTORS.
SO WHEN DOES THE PART WHERE YOU NEED TO BE A BOY COME IN?
IDK????????? STILL SEARCHING FOR IT.