​Clipper Connect, Seattle: The positive impact of women in the marine and sailing industry.

After a thrilling end to Race 10: Ultimate Test of Perseverance, which saw just 42 minutes separate the bulk of the Clipper Race fleet, the Seattle stopover got into full swing with the latest in the Clipper Connect series focusing on the positive impact of women in the marine and sailing industry.

Clipper Connect runs at each stop on the race’s global circuit and aims to create network events that blend sustainability, business insights and real-world connections. With over 4,500 participants so far, Clipper Connect has emerged as a dynamic platform that fosters business growth, sustainability and international business connections connecting like-minded professionals across the world.

The panel discussion was opened and hosted by Dr Dianne McGrath, sustainability spokesperson who is currently racing around the world as a crew member with the PSP Logistics team. Kickstarting the event, she said: “Seattle and its eclectic communities are world-renowned for their inclusivity when it comes to gender equality and environmental action. So it's fitting that in this edition we are looking at women in sailing as a sport and within the marine industry.”

IMAGE: Dr Dianne McGrath host of the Clipper Connect Panel

Following a welcome from Beth Knox, President and CEO of Seattle Sports Commission, and Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Managing Director, Port of Seattle, Dianne was joined by four panellists; Ineke van der Weijden, Clipper Race Skipper; Lex Albrecht, marketing strategy and partnerships, Sena; Cady Moris - environmental and sustainability specialist, Holland America Line cruises and Savannah Smith, co-founder and director of programmes for of Sea Potential.

VISIBILITY IS VIABILITY

The start of the discussion focused on visibility of women in the marine industry, and each of the panellists brought insightful perspectives.

Lex, a former professional cyclist, began by sharing the phrase 'visibility is viability’, explaining: “I retired at the end of 2019 and there’s been a huge change since then. Part has been policy changes but part of it has been driven by the presence of women in the high-performance and industry sphere. There are women in senior positions making decisions and having influence in the industry and what the consumer side sees too.”

Diane commented: “Visibility is so important. If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”

Clipper Race Skipper Ineke van der Weijden added: “I think in the sailing industry, there are still pockets where it's hard for women to get into but in the part of the industry that I’ve worked in, gender is not an issue. Clipper Race has never had a problem employing women in the marine industry at all. I think it’s often the women that don’t see themselves up there that need to make the switch and have the confidence to get up there too.”

Savannah discussed an important perspective surrounding women of colour in the industry, after completing her marine biology degree in a predominantly-white institution: “Meeting women of colour in the spaces I was trying to occupy was inspiring for me and part of the fuel behind starting Sea Potential. We see it as a lack of awareness more than a lack of interest within the communities we work with, so we create hands-on experiences to open up visibility to young people.”

IMAGE: Savannah Smith, co-founder and director of programmes for of Sea Potential

While Cady discussed the importance of visibility for Holland America Line at grassroots level - something they’ve been actioning through a collaboration with Seattle’s Maritime High School. She said: “We’ve been engaging in mentorships, career expos, and class trips to our vessels. Early exposure is critical - it's something we focus on. We are trying to put a lot of focus on women cadets.”

INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

The conversation moved onto inclusivity with Dianne saying: “difference allows us to understand that there is so much value in different people and not to let it blend into nothingness.”

Savannah discussed the diverse range of opportunities that Sea Potential is opening up for young people from underrepresented communities but also highlighted an important consideration regarding inclusivity of a diverse workforce: “We have noticed that harm can be done if a company is focused on recruiting a diverse range of people but not on making sure the space is there in a cohesive way so that they can thrive.”

Looking at inclusivity from a sailing perspective, Ineke added: “Being a skipper, and a woman, I’m hoping that I’m naturally showing women they can do it! I hope that hurdle is overcome! But also demonstrating that, while sometimes it is a benefit to be big, tall and super strong, actually in 90% of the cases, it doesn't matter. Women may have less physical strength but because they are quicker, they can manage things faster.”

“But it’s other things too - I am Dutch and happen to have a few Dutch crew, but I have a rule on board that we all speak English because nobody else understands Dutch. Even if they’re just talking about the weather it instantly makes people feel excluded. I’ve lived abroad myself so I know how that feels.”

IMAGE: Attendees asking the panel questions

Lex continued: “Learning about experiences that are interdisciplinary is inspiring; we share challenges and triumphs and avoid narrow minded thinking that we’re only experiencing them. It empowers us to make change, make space for ourselves in industries where we think we don’t have space because we think that nobody else has to push their way in. It’s very important.

Cady highlighted her route into Holland America Line was down to a network of women making space for her but also recognised the role of great male leaders, too: “I have had great male leaders, it’s a collective effort.”

A male audience member touched on the issue of retention, highlighting that the industry can also be challenging for men, and looking at ways the industry can collectively look at retention as a mechanism to increase diversification.

COLLABORATION

Recognising that many of the challenges that are presented to the sailing industry are similar to those of many industries, it was universally agreed that in order to diversify and encourage more women into the marine industry, it is important to continue to collaborate and increase visibility of women in marine roles - but also the importance of creating inspiring, fun and authentic opportunities to reach young people from a range of backgrounds.

Unanimously, the biggest take away for attendees was: visibility is viability.

Bringing the discussion to a close, attendees were invited to a networking session to continue the panel’s inspiring discussions and to forge new industry connections.