Women in Leadership
CREATORS OF NATIONS
By Lungi Mchunu
I have a soft voice. I recall my instructors during my Yachtmaster training telling me to be more loud and aggressive. I understood what they meant and their reasoning, but for the life of me, I didn't know how to tap into that persona. It was incredibly difficult. It took conversations with my friends for me to realize that not being aggressive didn’t mean I was a bad leader, but that I was a different kind of leader. My leadership style is setting a clear vision for the crew and having continuous communication. Briefings before setting sail are key to ensuring that everyone is on the same page. During a passage, it is a matter of calling the crew to the cockpit to chat about what's next. This approach is in alignment with who I am as a person. Once I embraced that, it became easier to progress in my training.
CONTENT CREATORS AS LEADERS
By Anne Bryant
…As an editor, I didn’t expect to be in a position to create real change, but here I was at a well respected publication with the ability to request that our capable, sympatico illustrator put diverse faces, ages, and genders at helms, up in rigging, using tools, repairing engines, and building rowboats. We’ve all felt the empowerment and inspiration that comes from seeing oneself reflected in the media, and I got to do that for people even when the magazine’s glossier pages echoed loudly with older, white, male voices. I wanted people to open the magazine and see a resonating welcome, you belong.
WOMEN PIONEER SEAFARERS
By Elizabeth Marami
…When I embarked on the journey to be a pilot, I realized a lot of responsibility was accorded to me as one of the first pioneer women to pursue this career in my country. I was privileged to work on Kenyan waters after my cadetship in Egypt. However, I still itched to go back to sea and sharpen my skills. I wanted to show the girls that came after me that it was possible to achieve the highest rank. This could only be done by seeking opportunities to sail on foreign going ships, so I could continue sharpening my skills and hopefully command one of the ships.
WHAT GOOD SKIPPERS DO AND DON’T DO
By: Jennifer Harkness
DEAR SKIPPER JENN, I am crew aboard a race boat with a Skipper who yells. He’s a super nice guy when we are at dock, then as soon as we get out on the water he is constantly swearing at the crew. He tends to single a couple of us out and shouts out obvious and repetitive orders the whole race. At the end of the day, he acts like nothing has happened and we crack beers and laugh. People shrug it off and say, “It’s just him,” but it annoys me and sometimes really upsets me because he calls names on occasion. What should I do?
Dear My Skipper is a Yeller,
Oh boy, I think many of us have sailed with this guy at one point or another. What always fascinates me is not just the yelling, but how the whole group puts up with it and enables it. This is not effective teamwork; your Skipper needs help. Let’s start with some basic framework of why some Skipper’s yell and what really good Skippers and teams do.
Image description: Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber, of Lake Forest, Il
We are thrilled that this past month, many glass ceilings were shattered by amazing women.
Kamala Harris has become the first woman, African American, and South Asian Indian Vice President-Elect of the United States.
Two female skippers, Anna Östling, Sweden, and Pauline Courtois, France, raced in the Open Worlds for the first time ever in Bermuda in October.
The Naval Academy appointed it’s first African American female brigade commander, Midshipman 1st Class Sydney Barber.
Cory Sertl, the President of US Sailing, was officially elected as one of seven new Vice Presidents of World Sailing at the General Assembly.
Boat US had a great feature on black women in boating, including our very own CEO Ayme Sinclair.
READINGS ON LEADERSHIP
By Janna Cawrse Esarey
Books buoy us. They lift us up, give us direction, teach us where to go and how to get there. Check out our new monthly Women Who Sail book recommendations.
New Women Who Sail member Lizzy Hall brought up a very important topic through humor and satire in a public mixed gender sailing Facebook group well known to be sexist and predatory. She took it down after many mean remarks and joined us over at Women Who Sail for a safe space and to grow as a sailor. We often have very productive and helpful discussions about common experiences of barriers women face in the sailing world. Women Who Sail is committed to supporting an inclusive culture change in the sport of sailing.
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Have questions, upcoming events, news, or submissions? Contact our Editor-in-Chief: Jenn Harkness at skipperjennharkness@gmail.com