I am your average goofball who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, never stepping foot on a boat. In 2010 I was working as an assistant at a law firm and thinking to myself, “this is painfully boring.” So I did what any red-blooded American woman would do and got myself a plan. Part of my plan was to go sailing for two weeks on a tall ship as a volunteer worker. At the time it was more of a vacation plan than anything to do with my career prospects, but little did I know the day I drove up to Port Angeles, Washington would start my feet on the greatest adventure of my life.
I sailed that two weeks, and knew I was where I needed to be. I came home briefly and ended a relationship, quit my job, and moved out of my apartment. I returned to the tall ships and worked as a sailor for the next two years. During this time I was having a ball- I sailed the entire west coast, made lifelong friends, and learned to trust in my abilities as I never had before. I learned to use power tools, and there was no going back.
I also encountered a lot of what I’ll call “naysaymanship” during this time because the job didn’t pay much. I got some pressure from my family with the “what are you doing?” and “why don’t you have a real job?” Sometimes you just have to get brave about walking through an open door in life, even when you have no idea what’s on the other side. I was taking it on faith.
I walked through the first open door, and then another and another. I worked hard and studied and took tests so I could earn my Merchant Mariner Credential- kind of like a drivers license for seafarers. I got a little older, and realized I wanted to at least maintain a home on land I could come back to, and that meant I needed to earn more money. So I went commercial.
First I got a job as an AB (Able Seaman) on a sternwheeler cruise ship. It was almost 400 feet long and four stories high. This was my introduction to commercial maritime, and my first time working on an all-male crew. It was hard, but mostly mentally and emotionally. I was the odd one out, and there was a lot of competition. I learned a lot, excelled, and got promoted. However the work schedule left very little time at home. I wanted to find a job that provided an “even time schedule” (home the same amount as on the boat), so I applied at every tug boat company on the west coast. I made an excel spreadsheet that created a mail merge so I could print cover letters and envelopes to all 40-some companies I applied to, and I sent them off.
I got two job offers, one with an oceangoing company, and one with harbor assist. For the benefit of my personal life, I chose harbor assist. I’m really glad I did because of the group of people I work with. Sure, they’re all men, but they were raised right and they treat me with equality. They’re darn good at what they do, and I am very lucky that they are the ones who have trained me. I almost always love my job (except when I am very, very tired), and I am in awe of what we do. We move ships. We move barges. We cruise around a beautiful region on beautiful vessels we take pride in. I earn the same wage as my male coworkers for the same work. I learn something new every day.
For those of you reading this who are thinking of getting into the industry, here is my advice to you. If you like to be outside, were ever called “bossy” or “opinionated” as a child, and are not afraid of getting dirty and working hard- you will probably like it. If natural beauty and constant learning floats your boat, you will probably love it. That said, what is expected of you is to be prepared, think on your feet, and work hard. Depending on what type of boat you work on you will face seasickness, homesickness, exhaustion, and isolation. People won't always be nice. To combat these factors I contemplate words of wisdom in my head like, "Rome wasn't built in a day," and Ronda Rousey's quote, “Anywhere you go, you have a right to be there.” It also doesn't hurt to lift weights and carry a ziplock bag in rough seas. More than anything I would say to you: where there's a will, there's a way.