I started about 10 years ago and I do remember that first week, little girls looking out the car window at me, lots of women sticking the thumb up at me, which was really nice.
“If you grow up and don’t see any women in the job you feel it’s not for you. Hopefully other people see that and go ‘you can work at sea, it’s not just a thing for men’.”
Julie Maguire worked in medical engineering when she first moved to Shetland and was into her 40s before starting work as a ferry deckhand in June 2016.
We’ve been speaking to her and some other women working within the predominantly male-staffed inter-island ferry crews to coincide with International Day for Women in Maritime, which is celebrated on 18 May every year.
Julie says she took up the job when she moved to Fetlar having been working as a medical engineer at the Gilbert Bain Hospital.
“I wanted a job so I could live in Fetlar, and I was a sea kayaker so I enjoyed that, and then the post came up. I wasn’t particularly looking for a career at sea, but I got my mate’s ticket and hopefully the council will support me through to a skipper’s ticket,” she says.
“It’s a job that is quite varied – you can go for days and absolutely nothing happens, then as a mate, suddenly it’s very intense and you need to be problem-solving.”
Julie adds that she would “encourage other women to do it – you can do any job; you can be good or bad at any job!”
For Maggie Adamson, a well-known face in Shetland’s sailing and musical fraternities, as a newcomer to the job this spring she is relishing a role enabling her to spend more time at home.
“I wanted to get more sea time and hopefully work up to get more tickets and opportunities, and the job also meant that I could spend more time [here].
“With the new rota I think that works really good, so I can still do my sailing and be able to be home and work, so I think it ticks a lot of boxes.”
Everyone has been “very welcoming” and she is enjoying meeting lots of new people and getting “stuck into the job”.
Maggie adds: “It’s quite varied, because with my job I can go on all the different ferries. So far I’ve been on Yell Sound, Bressay and Papa Stour, so it’s good getting to meet all the different crews.”
Ferry operations manager Andrew Inkster says that the growing number of women joining crews in recent years “highlights that these roles are open to everyone, and we are proud to be building a more inclusive workplace where everyone is welcomed and supported.”
Anya Risk works as a deckhand on the Hendra, primarily on the route between Symbister in Whalsay and the Shetland mainland, with occasional stints in and out of Skerries.
She describes it as a “brilliant job”, and says greater representation for women in the maritime world is vitally important.
“I think as a lass, you often don’t have the confidence to go into a male-dominated field – you’re not sure you’re capable or knowledgeable enough – but, if you’re interested and willing to learn, you absolutely are,” Anya says.
“That’s why diversity and representation are so important – seeing other lasses doing it makes you think ‘maybe I can’.
“I love the practical and social aspects of it and love working outdoors. Despite being the only female on the crew, I’ve always been made to feel part of the team. There’s so much scope for development and training too. It would be brilliant to see more women consider a career at sea.”
You can learn more about the International Maritime Organisation’s annual day for #WomenInMaritime here.