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Girl Power – Women Make Splash As Luxury Yacht Charter Skippers

Photograph of a woman in a nautical uniform. She is at the helm of a yacht. She is holding the ship's steering wheel. She is wearing a white uniform shirt and black shorts. She has mid-length straight blonde hair. She is smiling at the camera.

Female Captains on Yachts

ABLE BODIED SEAWOMAN?

It seems the commonly-used term, “Able-bodied seaman”  might need to be amended to, “seaman and -woman”  to reflect what might become a trend in the yachting industry – the emergence of female captains on mega yacht charter vessels.

 

WELCOME, FEMALE CAPTAINS

In an industry long dominated by men, a handful of skilled women are stepping to the forefront and taking the helm, and the responsibility, of operating both sail and motor yachts for hire.

(FEMALE) COMPANY PRESIDENT COMMENTS

According to Jana Sheeder, President of 1-800 Yacht Charters and SailAway Yacht Charters, today’s yacht owners look beyond gender when hiring a skipper. 

“Megayacht owners look for experience and professionalism, first and foremost,” says Sheeder.  “Skippers must be experts in navigation and safety, and considering many yachts have large crew complements, they must be equally-adept at  personnel management.  A skilled captain is a multi-talented person, regardless of gender.  Hiring the best and brightest is the goal.

 

 

PRESENTING 3 MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Three women leading the ranks of females at the helm.  These are, for instance, Captain Sandra Yawn (motor yacht DEFIANCE), Captain Danielle de Vere (motor yacht MARY JEAN), and Captain Carol Benbrook (motor yacht SEDATION).

First up, Yawn. Captain Yawn has recently taken the helm on Mangusta motor yacht DEFIANCE. It is a stunning 72′ speedster currently available for Bahamas and Florida yacht charters.  Yawn brings years of experience to her new position. She was the former captain of the 148 foot motor yachts TUSCAN SUN and 142 foot yacht, LADY J.

Second is De Vere. She leads a crew of 12 onboard the 163 foot Caribbean yacht charter vessel, MARY JEAN.  De Vere earned her stripes crewing at her family’s daysail business in Australia, as well as operating luxury live-aboard dive vessels on the Northern Great Barrier Reef.

Third female captain is Benbrook.  Before the sale of the 143 foot Heeson motor yacht SEDATION, Benbrook was the skipper of the popular Virgin Island yacht charter vessel for three years.  In a 2010 interview with yachting journalist Kim Kavin, Benbrook was asked how it feels to be one of the only female motoryacht captains.  “I think there are five or six of us now on motoryachts. I think it’s fine. People respect me. I’ve never had any problems,” she said.  

Is there added pressure on these women to be their gender’s pathfinders in the yachting industry? 
Benbrook doesn’t think so and says the real pressure is on the ship’s mate. “It’s harder, actually, as a first mate. There’s more prejudice there. You have to be physically strong as a first mate to move lines and such. It’s different than being a captain, where there’s absolutely no strength involved. It’s all about moving levers at the helm.”

HONORABLE MENTION

Oh, we cannot leave her out.  BRAVO!  Female Captain Sandy Yawn of motoryachts Sirocco and The Wellington (which is The Wellesley, on Bravo Network’s, Below Deck Mediterranean series).
We wonder – will we ever see the ranks of women skippers swell and match the number of male captains at the helm of yacht charter vessels?  Are yacht owners truly open to hiring, “the best and brightest?”
Only time will tell… 
#yachtcharter #rentayacht #superyachtcharter #belowdeck

HAVE YOU EVER?

Have you ever rented a private yacht or plane with a female captain in charge?  How was the experience?  Why do you think there are so few women to date at the helm of superyacht vessels?  Share your comments and testimonials with us below!

This entry was posted in Educational Yacht Charter Frequently Asked Questions and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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About admin

Ms. Jana Sheeder is President of 1-800 Yacht Charters. Providing The Superyacht Experience(tm) since 1976. Private luxury yacht charter vacations in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, South Pacific, South Florida, Miami and The Florida Keys, Italian Rivera, Belize. Megayacht charter company focused on generosity, Pay It Forward, Random Acts of Kindness, Giftivism, giving back to the ocean, to the needy, and the environment with every superyachting charter. Providing eco-friendly alternatives while on yacht charters and known for 6-star customer service, experience, and generosity.

  • Elija

    Greetings I am so excited I found your webpage, I really found you by error, while I was researching on Digg for something else, Anyhow I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to read through it all at the moment but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the superb job.

    Reply ↓

  • Evangeline Nuyts

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your next write ups
    thank you once again.

    Reply ↓

  • Suni C.

    I spend much time on your site, and i have found the content to be great. Keep doing it

    Reply ↓

    • Jana Sheeder

      My gosh, Suni. Thank you so much. So glad you like it. Please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. Come on back any time!

      Sincerely,
      Jana Sheeder
      President
      1-800 Yacht Charters

      Reply ↓

  • Pingback: George L.

    • Jana Sheeder

      Huge smile, George! We love your passion and excitement. Thank you for the compliment, too! We work hard to keep the content flowing.

      We so look forward to planning your trip for your group. You’re going to have so much fun!

      Sincerely,

      Jana

      Jana L. Sheeder
      President
      1-800 Yacht Charters
      Delivering The Superyacht Experience Since 1976

      Reply ↓

  • Skip

    Fingers crossed! I plan on having my Mangusta 165 crewed by all women; should be any time now; I bought my Powerball ticket last night 😀

    Reply ↓

  • Joe V.

    How do I permanently hire a female captain for My Yacht?

    Reply ↓

    • Jana Sheeder

      Hi, Joe –

      There are multiple companies that offer professional crewmembers for hire, whether it is for permanent or for temporary work.

      Search the internet for female yacht captains for hire. You can narrow the search further by destination, type of yacht, etc.

      Good luck!

      See you on the water.

      Sincerely,

      Jana L. Sheeder
      President and Co-owner
      1-800 Yacht Charters
      Delivering The Superyacht Experience(tm) Since 1976

      Reply ↓

    • Jana Sheeder

      Hi, Joe –

      There are multiple companies that offer professional crewmembers for hire, whether it is for permanent or for temporary work.

      Search the internet for female yacht captains for hire. You can narrow the search further by destination, type of yacht, etc.

      Good luck!

      See you on the water.

      Sincerely,

      Jana L. Sheeder
      President and Co-owner
      1-800 Yacht Charters
      Delivering The Superyacht Experience(tm) Since 1976

      Reply ↓

  • Kathy

    What a sexy and encouraging article.

    Reply ↓

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