S
ince the last article, the OOW we spoke to, Jenny Matthews, has launched a pretty amazing platform alongside Chief Mate 3000gt Natasha Ambrose called She of the Seas. Their aim is pretty straightforward, “to connect and empower women working in yachting and those who support them. Cultivate equality, realise potential and celebrate diversity.”
And since launching in 2018, She of the Sea has not just gained momentum, it’s seen an avalanche of support from all facets of the yachting industry. You only need to visit the Ambassadors page of their website to get a feel for the type of backing they’re receiving from strong women, men, and organisations.
These Ambassadors are using their own platforms to “champion change in their own environments and within their industries”, many are well known industry figures and are proud to put their names to the cause. In addition to the Ambassadors, SOTS is seeking support of companies and individuals to sign their Yachting Diversity and Inclusion Pledge.
At SOTS, they are “committed to building practices and cultures that actively facilitate, cultivate and celebrate diversity and inclusion, at all levels, throughout our organisation and our industry”. But it doesn’t stop there, they’re not just looking for people to talk the talk, they’re keen to make us all walk the walk, capturing data, promoting the pledge, and committing to fair recruitment and hiring practices. It’s been refreshing to watch people actively commit to make the industry more inclusive and diverse, SOTS is bringing like minded individuals together with a common goal.
Pre-covid, SOTS were out attending conferences to deliver their message. Most recently, Jenny spoke in front of 200 senior executives at the Superyacht Investor Conference in Feb 2020, one of the leading events for connecting and informing. This was even picked up by the Guardian newspaper. Even during the pandemic SOTS hasn’t taken a day off from fighting for the cause, using social media platforms such as Instagram TV to hold Q&As. This organisation is going from strength to strength and it’s going to be very interesting to see where the next few years takes them.
Another platform gaining momentum, is the Facebook page: Girls on Deck: Connecting Female Deck & Engineering Superyacht Crew.
Created in 2016 by Sophie Jordan, the page is now nearly 5000 members strong. It’s a great place for crew to ask questions and also for agents and captains to find the right crew to join them.
Speaking of which, we spoke to a couple of captains who’ve hired females on deck or in the ER to get their thoughts on diversity in the industry.
Captain Ron* told us, “We have actively recruited women for the second officer position the last two times it has come up. we do this because I find it brings a really nice balance to the bridge team. The ratio of CV’s received was around 20 guys to every
takes courage to overcome the male image that the business projects. I think that the key is to find those young dinghy sailors, team sports players, outdoors enthusiasts etc and convince them that it is possible to be successful in the business… probably while they are in their teens!
Similarly for engineering, school age girls showing an aptitude/interest in practical science need to find out about the industry and the opportunities that it offers. The marine industry as a whole not just the yachting sector, needs to sell itself more to girls in schools, sailing clubs, summer camps etc Something for Nautilus/PYA to get into perhaps.”
For me it’s more about looking after and encouraging those who have already decided their career path. I still see and hear of horribly sexist behaviour, we have to do better with this. Sadly in an industry where client demands are placed above all else, it’s often ignored.
woman (we advertise without specifying gender). The first time we recruited we only received three female CVs, we ended up interviewing two guys and a woman. All three were very capable but we went with the female as she stood out.”
We asked him what we can do to attract more women into the industry, “I’m not sure what I think about actively encouraging more of either gender to a specific role. For me it’s more about looking after and encouraging those who have already decided their career path. I still see and hear of horribly sexist behaviour, we have to do better with this. Sadly in an industry where client demands are placed above all else, it’s often ignored.”
Captain Helen* told us, “When I have previously hired female deck crew it’s generally been because I’ve had prior knowledge of the candidate and I’ve seen her working well on other vessels. Regardless of sex, knowing that a candidate has proven history on skills/work ethic etc is a huge plus when hiring. Cabins can be a hindrance for sure (MLC didn’t do girls any favours there). It’s always going to be a certain type of girl who will progress into these areas of yachting… but even for them it
Captain James Thom married his mate! He’s hired many women in traditionally male roles over the years, his view is “if someone’s got the competence, experience and attitude I’ll hire them for the job, male or female. I’ve worked with a number of women stronger than me (not hard!) but we always said it’s not about strength- if it’s too heavy, get someone to lift it with you or use a halyard.
Generalising, some men can often be too testosterone led in their thinking and their interactions with other crew- wasting time and energy arguing about ‘their’ way of doing something, or rushing into tackling a job without scoping it fully first, trying to get something done with brute strength- and breaking it. Women tend to think things through first, less likely to bust stuff, are more aware of the importance of keeping a good crew dynamic. All the female deck crew I’ve worked with I would employ again- all showed high competence, professionalism and conscientiousness.”
Good to hear increasing numbers of
captains are looking at the experience and qualifications of the candidates over their sex, and in some cases, actively seeking to increase the diversity in the crew in order
ONBOARD | AUTUMN 2020 | 35
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