It is fate that brought me to the maritime industry. This is the only way I can explain the turn of events that guided me to where I am today.
As it is with most sea stories, I started out as a small child with a HUGE passion for the ocean. A physics field trip in high school opened my eyes to Maine Maritime Academy (MMA). MMA's campus, located in Castine, Maine, is on the beautiful coast of Penobscot Bay. First impressions are everything, and upon first glance, the Penobscot Bay campus was love at first sight! The scene was set on the academy's working waterfront, which was teeming with various vessels, from small sailboats to research vessels; and who could miss the enormous Training Ship State of Maine!
The passion became reality when I was accepted into the Marine Science Program. During the first few weeks we would gather on the M/V MC Hill, one of MMA's research vessels, collecting and testing water column samples. It wasn’t long before I found my true passions were not concerned with what was under the water, so much as with the culture and the camaraderie of being at sea. I switched to the Marine Transportation Program in the second semester of my freshman year, in spite of strong apprehension from my parents, and vowed to pursue a life at sea. Or at least I said I would give it a chance: I could always go back to counting fish. It was the most profound decision I would ever make in my young adult life. I made this choice purely from the heart. I had no family or friends with experience in the industry to help reassure that the decision I had made was correct. I was on my own in "uncharted waters".
The decision set me on a path for an amazing career - a career full of adventure, lifelong friendship, danger, and heartbreak. All of which I still experience daily! I honestly feel like an actor in a drama series every day at work. It’s never a dull moment, every day is different, and I am always learning something new. How many people can say they experience all this at their current jobs!?
I have never regretted the decision I made at MMA, but I have wondered what exactly brought me to opt for transporting goods over water rather than studying what's in the water. The sea has a strange way of hypnotizing people. Again, all I can figure is that fate brought me to the sea.
After graduating from MMA, I received a Master’s of Science Degree and 3rd Mate Unlimited Tonnage License and began work at Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO). At ECO, I held a position as 3rd Mate, 2nd Mate and then 1600 Ton Master for 3 years on vessels ranging from the 100 foot Support Vessel “Fast Spirit” to the 270 foot “Kobe Chouest” Offshore Supply Vessel. One of the most eventful tours I experienced was the delivery of the “Fast Spirit”, as Captain, from Port Fourchon, Louisiana to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Highlights of the delivery were the thousands of whales we encountered (it must have been breeding season!) around Haiti, and the dramatic landscapes of Natal, Brazil as we passed close to shore. Negatives included the fact that our company had enticed the crew into taking the job by promising them at least three days to go hog-wild in Rio. Needless to say, it didn’t happen as they imagined and the crew were shipbound until clearance was granted by customs and immigration - three days later. They fussed and complained like toddlers (I have met better behaved toddlers!) and refused to work. Blaming the Captain was the only way they were able to seek restitution. Interestingly enough I wanted to see Rio too but not for the same reasons they did.
With ship handling, management experience, and a DPO certification under my belt, I sought out bigger and better opportunities offshore. Never, EVER underestimate the power of networking; this is one of the most valuable tools in your arsenal when looking for a job offshore. This goes hand in hand with the phrase ‘it’s not only what you know but who you know’. I networked with a MMA classmate and friend of mine who referred me to my current job with Ensco PLC. I am currently on board the ENSCO DS-8 as Senior Dynamic Positioning Operator and 2nd Mate DPO. I have been working at Ensco for a total of 5 years. I first started with the company on the ENSCO DS-4 delivering the 750 foot “6th generation” drillship from Curacao to Brazil. I was on board the DS-4 from the first well she drilled until we brought her back to the Gulf of Mexico three years later.
I then had the opportunity to work on the Projects Development side of Marine Shipping. Still working for Ensco I oversaw the building and commissioning of the ENSCO DS-8 at Samsung Heavy Lift in Geoje, S. Korea. To witness large ships being assembled the way a child would build a set of Legos is a breathtaking and rare sight. It was fascinating watching large pieces of raw steel being transformed into a backbone, and then a skeleton, to be lifted and welded together to resemble a ship form, in as little as a few weeks to a month. To live and work in Korea was also fantastic. Bikes and mopeds and shipyard worker traffic to and from work every morning was a sight to see. The energy pulsed in the shipyard city and you had no choice but to become immersed in it as you traveled to and from the yard.
Any opportunity to work outside of your comfort zone, to experience something completely different, is a risk worth taking. I am feeling incredibly fortunate to have been able to experience what I have thus far in my maritime career both on land and offshore. I am looking forward to helping others experience similar achievements; to empower, motivate and guide future mariners who have questions or would like to share their experiences or concerns. I want to help make the maritime industry more achievable by advocating equal opportunities for female mariners.
I currently hold a Chief Mate Unlimited Tonnage License and I am looking forward to starting a family with my incredible husband while continuing to further my professional career offshore.