Meet the Female Role Models Driving Young Women into Maritime

International Women’s Day 2025 highlights the urgent need for swift and decisive action toward gender equality. The IDW25 campaign theme this year is ‘Accelerate Action’ and focuses on making faster progress to close the gender gap. According to the World Economic Forum, at the current rate of progress, full gender parity won’t be achieved globally until 2158.

The maritime industry faces its own unique challenges in this journey. From recent research, women comprise 29% of the overall workforce, which is a significant increase in recent years, but women continue to represent a small percentage of seafarers globally at just 2% (IMO and WISTA survey, 2021).

TSYT is committed to facilitating change by actively supporting and accelerating women’s advancement into maritime and leadership roles across the UK. We’re enabling growth and empowering individuals to not only succeed but also lead and exemplify success in positions of responsibility. Strong women role models are key to this.

Today, we celebrate some of the remarkable women who have been impacted by female role models and who are advancing women into maritime  

Meet Anna, First Mate and Youth Development and Outdoor Learning Team Member

Anna is a passionate advocate for young people’s development, helping to shape a brighter future, particularly for those facing disadvantages. Anna works to break down barriers, provide opportunities, and inspire the next generation of female leaders.

In her role, she helps young people take their first step on a voyage, whether through group bookings, financial assistance, or guiding them to funding opportunities. She also attends careers and industry events, allowing her to connect with young people and help them uncover pathways into the maritime industry they might not have considered. “I spoke to one young woman today who was interested in marine biology but hadn’t found a pathway yet. So, I stepped in and said, ‘Have you considered this?’”

Anna also takes on an active role as a First Mate on TSYT voyages. On board, she encourages young people to push their boundaries, recognise their achievements and apply those learning into their home life and communities.

Anna’s Own Journey

Surprisingly, Anna didn’t grow up around boats. “I was very much a land lover,” she laughs. “I hated camping, I wasn’t outdoorsy at all.” Yet, within 24 hours of her first voyage, she fell in love, not just with sailing, but with what sailing does to people. “Being on a boat changes people, and that is what I’m in love with.”

TSYT played a crucial role in her career development. She first joined as a Youth Mentor before working her way up to her first skippering experience with TSYT on board the ketch. “I sailed the Atlantic twice thanks to TSYT,” she recalls, emphasising how it helped her gain confidence and valuable qualifications.

The Power of Role Models

The presence of visible female role models in maritime is crucial for breaking down barriers. “If you see that there is a young female Skipper, you’ll know that you could do it,” Anna asserts.

Though not faced them herself, she said that stereotypes persist, and she hears stories from young female Skippers. “They get looked at funny. Someone comes to the boat and asks to speak to the Skipper, and when she says, ‘That’s me,’ they say, ‘No, where is he?’” It’s a mindset that Anna hopes to change.

For Anna, one of the biggest barriers she’s faced is confidence. Despite being fully qualified to skipper a boat, she finds herself hesitating. “I keep thinking, no, I need more practice first.”

That’s why she stresses the importance of female role models to show young women what is possible. At TSYT, over 65% of our volunteers, and 25% of our  Skippers/Mates are female. TSYT strive to have women represented on every voyage, “We aspire to it. We work with what we’ve got, but we definitely try.”

Meet Rachel, First Mate

Sailing and youth development has always been in Rachel’s heart, but it was when she got her RYA Yachtmaster Offshore qualification and a chance encounter in 2021 that started her professional sailing journey.

While alongside in Poole Harbour, the harbourmaster warned of an influx of young people, but this announcement didn’t deter Rachel, given her background as a teacher. Soon, four Challengers and the ketch arrived, each full of eager young people who were very keen to meet Rachel’s dog. Rachel got chatting with the Skipper of one of the Challengers, and said it the idea of sailing whilst teaching young people sounded like a dream. Inspired by further conversations with a female Mate, she signed up as soon as she got home.

During her training trips, Rachel found role models in women like Sue, TSYT Skipper and Youth Development and Outdoor Learning Lead, whose “calm demeanour whilst docking was inspirational.” Later, on her first voyage as a Mate with the Naval Children’s Charity, she was “wonderfully surprised” to see Sue as the Skipper, supported by two female Watch Leaders on board.

Rachel has seen firsthand how traditional gender roles still exist in sailing. “Guys traditionally do the heavy lifting, not always with bad intention but sometimes with the assumption that women can’t do certain jobs.” She has also noticed how young people, not exposed to traditional gender stereotypes, are shaping change. “Now young people are seeing different role models so the world is their oyster, I think it’s hugely powerful. It opens your horizons.” At TSYT, she values the way everyone shares responsibilities “on board, everyone is an individual and on the same level, equally contributing to everything and working as a team.”

She believes that more visibility for women in the industry is crucial. “Having more women celebrated, the more we see on TV like the Maiden team coming first in the Ocean Globe Race, all those things filter down into a collective unconscious.” Changing perceptions benefits everyone, not just women. “When women change their role and step up to whatever they choose to be, it gives men the freedom to choose what they want and not their standard roles, so it impacts young men as well as young women.”

For Rachel, the real impact of her work is in empowering young people. She recalls a young person who, after struggling with anxiety on their first voyage, returned for a Leadership voyage. “I walked with them, teaching them breathing techniques. Six weeks later, they had booked on for a Leadership voyage because although it was scary, they missed the camaraderie of the boat.” She describes these experiences as transformative: “It’s about making space for everyone’s individuality and not judging others on any level. Talking about the strengths everyone has during the voyage is the key – we want them to leave feeling just that bit taller and more capable and confident in their unique abilities.

Reflecting on her journey, she is grateful for where it has led her. “I’m so pleased all of the Challengers arrived around my boat a few years ago – it has truly transformed my life.”

Breaking Barriers for Women in Maritime

Martha, one of our young female First Mates, has been inspired by role models like Rachel and Anna. She progressed from voyage crew to achieving her RYA Yachtmaster Offshore in 2024 and now sails with us during university breaks. Her journey has also inspired her two younger siblings to join our voyages.

“TSYT has proven to me that you can be just as successful as a woman in sailing; there are no qualities that make a great sailor that are male-specific,” she asserts. “Our voyages encourage growth, leadership, and determination. Throughout the staff and volunteers there is a passion to prove to young women how capable they are – breaking down their expectations based on gender through every sail hoist they lead or helming smoothly through tacks and gybes.”

TSYT celebrates all the incredible women who are helping to change young lives at sea and remains dedicated to expanding opportunities for young women. Through pathways like our  three-voyage programme of Exploration, Empowerment and Leadership, and volunteering opportunities, TSYT equips women with the confidence, skills, and experience to succeed, whether in maritime careers or on any path they choose.