Once upon a time, a woman in the wheelhouse was such a rare sight that people practically dropped their champagne saucers to clutch their pearls. Heavens to betsies. Fast forward to 2025 and while the industry still hasn’t reached perfect parity, let’s just say the tides are turning – and they’re coming in hot.

The superyacht world has long been a bit of a boys’ club. But in recent years, women have been elbowing their way into the fold, not quietly, but confidently. And guess what? They're not just holding their own – they’re running the damn show. (Feel free to start humming Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves here.)

Women are stepping into senior deck roles, leading bridge teams, taking charge in engineering, and calling the shots as captains on some of the world’s biggest yachts. The old stereotype of “pink jobs and blue jobs” is steadily being scrapped. Yes, we still get the occasional eyebrow raise from the old guard when a woman steps up in steel-toe cap boots instead of stilettos, but mostly? The industry is getting used to it – and better for it.

For every yacht owner who still can’t quite wrap his head around a female captain (“but can she parallel park a 70-metre?” Yes. Yes, she can, with one hand, blindfolded, in a crosswind, with an audience), there are plenty more who are actively recruiting based on skills, leadership, and presence – not chromosomes. The next generation of female deckhands, officers, and engineers aren’t here to prove themselves. They’re here to progress. And they're doing it with grit, humour, and the kind of resilience you need when someone assumes you’re “the new stew” during a yard period.

Let’s be honest – getting here hasn’t been a breeze.

Ask any female captain and she’ll likely have a few stories of being mistaken for the chief stew, asked if she’s “allowed” to drive the tender, or offered the 40-footer when her resume clearly states she’s got command experience on a 70-metre ice-classed explorer. There are still agents sending the wrong boats, senior crew who “can’t visualise” a woman running deck, and owners who prefer the status quo because that’s what they know. But the difference in 2025? These women aren’t waiting around for permission. They’re taking the opportunity anyway.

There’s also a growing network of support. From informal mentoring to quiet WhatsApp groups where women share advice, job leads, or just have a moan after a bad day – the community is stronger than ever. Women are lifting each other up, recommending each other, and calling out sexism when it rears its salty head.

Yes, the juggle is still real – especially for women who want a family. While fathers in yachting rarely get asked how they manage work-life balance, mothers often face assumptions about their availability or commitment. That double standard hasn’t magically vanished, but more captains and owners are waking up to the idea that being a parent doesn’t erase your leadership skills, it often enhances them.

Some yachts are actively seeking female deck crew, not as tokens, but because they’ve seen the results. Diverse teams work. They communicate better. They problem-solve more creatively. And let’s not forget – the guests notice. Having a female captain or officer on board doesn’t just challenge outdated norms – it inspires the daughters (and sons) watching from the aft deck.

And for those considering whether yachting is “for them”? If you’re smart, skilled, and not afraid to get your hands dirty – yes. There is room for you. You might need a thick skin some days, and an eye-roll emoji at the ready, but you’re not alone. The blueprint has been laid by the women who came before you – women who took the hits, asked for more, and didn’t let the “but we’ve always done it this way” brigade hold them back.

This industry is changing. Slowly in some corners, rapidly in others. But it is changing. And women aren’t just part of the future of yachting, they are the future.

So here’s to more women at the helm, more elbows on the chart table, and more women’s CVs that start with “Captain.”

You’re not here to tick a diversity box. You’re here because you earned it. And we’re bloody lucky to have you.

 📚 For more real-world insight, honest advice, and stories from across the crew spectrum, check out Superyacht Life: How to Start, Succeed, & Stay Sane by Erica Lay — available 1st October on Amazon.