Diversity!
Hello Crew, We hope you are well and busy out there training hard and smashing it! We know that this season may not have been what you expected, but we know that if you keep persevering and keep fighting for your dream, it will pay off!
In fact, we even shared an amazing story from Shannon Botha, one of our students, about how hard work and determination pays off in the long run when it comes to fulfilling your dreams! So if you haven’t read that story, we really recommend that you take a moment to read it. Not only was it so encouraging, but it also helped us remember to continue to work hard and persevere no matter what!
But if you have read that story, then today we have something exciting that we cannot wait to share with you! But before we do that, we wanted to ask, have you ever heard of She of the Sea? No, well, don’t worry because we are going to tell you more about them! But if you have, then we are proud to announce that Our Director Lauren Norton has been asked to be an ambassador of She of the Sea.
How exciting is that! Not only do we know that She of the Sea is an amazing company, but we also know that Lauren is going to be an amazing ambassador and will wear it proudly!
So in this Blog, we wanted to talk more about She of the Sea, how it started, what it does, and why we love that we get to be an ambassador!
How did She of the Sea start?
When Jenny Matthews first joined the yachting industry, she knew she wanted to be a captain. This was first inspired at a chance encounter, when Matthews was just 18, meeting her neighbour, who was a captain, and his wife, who was a Chief Stewardess. After chatting with them both, Matthew was so inspired and fell in love with the Professions she had never encountered. It was at that moment after the Captain declared that Matthews could be a captain if she wanted to, that Matthews informed her parents that she would not be attending university but rather joined the Superyacht Industry to become a Captain.
After 8 years in the Super Yachting Industry, Matthews qualified as an Officer of the Watch. During the time that she had been training for this and even after she had achieved her 3000GT ticket. Matthews was often giving the same repeated statement. “Did you know that you will be only one out of every ten women who have achieved this?” This led her to realise that she had never worked with another female in the deck department throughout all the years she had worked in the industry. Which led her to the question, “who else is out there?”
Matthews was often giving the same repeated statement. “Did you know that you will be only one out of every ten women who have achieved this?”
Matthews, tired of always hearing this and not believing that it could be true, decided to reach out to the Facebook group “Girls on Deck”, asking fellow members if they had achieved the ticket. “I just asked a simple question, ‘I cannot believe that there are less than 10 of us out there… so can I have a raise of hands, ladies?’ The response was incredible! And what inspired me was just how often I was seeing posts saying, ‘I didn’t know you all were out there.” After seeing the response, Matthews decided to create an online portal that created a space for women in Superyachting to connect, share and inspire. And She of the Sea was born.
What exactly does She of the Sea do?
Although She of the Sea started as an online platform to create a space where women in Superyachting could connect and champion each other, Two years later, it has evolved into an industry-wide action-based initiative aiming to diversify yachting along all racial and gender lines.
Today, She of the Sea aims to focus on four main areas.
1. The Pledge: The commitment to make the industry more diverse
2. Community Outreach: To help young women who might be interested in a yachting career through collaborations with schools and STEM programs; (STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach)
3. Raising Visibility and awareness through webinars and events of all leading professionals in the SuperYachting Industry. Regardless of Gender.
4. Mentorship Program, which has been paused amid the pandemic. The idea is to help “greenies”, the term is often given to new people to the industry, a chance to grow and learn alongside the industries best.
Another page of the Sea’s mission is to identify these advocates and streamline the women's process. Working with other shoreside yachting businesses and organizations is part of She of the Sea’s larger mission.
Why is She of the Sea an Important and Vital platform in the industry?
The main goal when Matthews started was to create visibility and awareness, getting in front of people and opening their minds to different ways of thinking and looking at diversity. Women are no longer just considered sexy women holding champagne bottles while men drive around, but to present women as intelligent experts, passionate seafarers, and corporate leaders
She of the Sea is intentionally pushing on competence-based placement over gender-based hiring. “It’s not about placing women over men — it’s giving them an equal shot to have the opportunity to get in front of the people they need to.” Unfortunately, many women who want to sign on for deckhand jobs are still told by crew agents that they should be stewardesses instead.
“It’s not about placing women over men — it’s giving them an equal shot to have the opportunity to get in front of the people they need to.”
Where is She of the Sea now?
She of the Sea sky-rocketed when it first launched but didn’t progress much over the course of the first year due to Matthews full-time commitments as an OOW (Officer of the Watch). However, when Chief Mate of Seven years, Natasha Ambrose, jumped on board the platform, that’s when things started to take off!
When Matthews started to work on She of the Sea full-time, that is when they really started to see progress. With Matthews overseeing the big picture and creating the blueprint for change and impact, Ambrose translates that big picture into reality by researching and forming personal relationships.
During the first six months, She of the Sea was dedicated to Research and Development, in which they formed an advisory board and a pro bono legal team, who oversee everything that She of the Sea produces. From the Pledge to the round table discussions and webinars.
In 2020, She of the Sea launched the Pledge at the Superyacht Investors Conference. This is a commitment by She of the Sea and signatory organisations to build a diverse and inclusive Yachting industry?
Six months after the launch, they saw 40-plus companies sign the pledge; these companies ranged from shipyards to crew agencies to management companies.
She of the Sea has worked with organisations and schools such as the 1851 Trust, the INEOS Team UK's official charity, delivering STEM events to young women. Matthews and the She of the Sea team are regularly invited to speak publicly, including speaking at the UK’s Women’s Trade and Union Congress 2019, with frequent contributions to leading industry publications and our growing community of followers. She of the Sea is uniting the industry behind its vision.
Before heading back to Europe, Matthews spent time travelling around local colleges in New Zealand to discuss the possible careers women can have at sea. “In my own community, I was going to high schools and universities/colleges that offer SuperYacht Courses, in which I speak to young women. ‘Women are doing this, and this is an option for you. You can do it.’ And to watch these women’s faces… it’s like turning on a light switch with them; they are full of questions.”
She of the Sea is also looking at expanding its website to accommodate the growth. This online platform will also allow others to contribute their thoughts, stories and experiences online. (“I’m looking for others to join the conversation” – Jenny Matthews)
Although she set up the website to focus on female crew, Matthews stresses that the platform will be inclusive to anyone in the industry!
As one of the main areas that she wants to focus on is leadership, as she often encounters men and women who have been described as “fantastic captains”, she plans to pick their brains and find what makes them tick, which will be then added to the website.
An app is also in development, which will serve as a community for both men and women to learn, grow and connect with one other. The app hasn’t launched to the public yet but is currently being beta-tested by Matthews’s inner circle of 20 officers and captains.
She of the Sea is also creating a flagship apparel line with all proceeds going back to the community and have begun hosting Instagram live events and webinars featuring inspiring people in the industry.
What Lauren had to say about being an ambassador and She of the Sea.
“I am honoured and excited to be an ambassador for She of the Sea. I have always been a fierce advocate for equality in whatever I do; I fully believe that you should be entitled to the same opportunities as anyone else if you work hard and uphold good morals and ethics. That is why I love Her of the Sea and what they stand for; they are smashing down the barriers that have for so long been stereotypes and the norm in the industry. I look forward to being able to be a part of this.”
To find out more.
We really hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as we did. Jenny Matthews is an amazing leader in the industry, and She of the Sea is such an amazing platform; we are so excited to be a part of it.
If you would like to read more on She of the Sea, you can head to their website or follow their Facebook and Instagram account. We have also attached links to a few articles about Jenny Matthews and She of the Sea at the bottom of this Blog.
If you are interested in learning more about the Super Yachting industry or Trilogy Luxury Training Course, you can head to our contact page, and one of our amazing Coaches will get back to you! Or follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for all things Trilogy!
Have a great September, and stay Passionate!
