What do female professionals think about the yachting industry? How do they work in an industry that is still prevalently male dominated? What advice would they give to young women wanting to follow their career path? We find out during our latest interview with one of the participants in the first International Conference for Women in Yachting, which took place a month ago in Turkey, and for which Daily Nautica was media sponsor. After meeting captain Kelly Gordon and the young and determined captain, Leyla Serter, these are the words of captain Marianthi Kasdagli.

Captain Kasdagli, you have been sailing across oceans since you were 18 years old. You started with merchant ships and later moved into the yachting sector. How did your passion begin?

“I started my career from the shipping industry and from capesize bulk carriers. 

My passion started, when I was little girl and watching all these vessels, at the port in the city which I was born and grew up . Further to this , an important reason was that I am a child of a family with 4 siblings and I wanted to start having my own money , in order to support my family as well as becoming independent.  So, that job gave me a financial independence, but at the same time, I really was ‘hungry’ to manage everything and reach the top, always with humility . But, I wanted to succeed in something I was involved in and I sacrificed a lot of things . Now, I love , where I am in the shipping industry, which was also very difficult to get into.” 

 Have you faced challenges in establishing yourself in your profession because you are a woman? What is the biggest prejudice you have encountered, if any?

“Of course , I faced difficulties. First of all, as a job, it is a difficult one . Being in a vessel on the ocean, far away from your family and many times with no contact at all, it really makes it hard. Even more , when you are a woman. Of course , the biggest prejudice I faced was “You are a woman, we don’t hire women. Sorry, you can look somewhere else” . And many times , I was feeling so desperate . But, always believing in myself and with my strong desire , hard work, remembering to stay humble , positive energy and potential, here we are, reaching the point I am at today.” 

In your opinion, what is the added value of having women in command of a superyacht?

“I believe that as a women, from our nature we are more reflective and we have skills in handling things in a nice , gentle way, not aggressively. And in this job you need to use your mind to think about how to move on and handle every situation. I really believe , as women we are highly skilled in this.” 

Is yachting still a male-dominated sector? What is the current state?

“The yachting industry used to be a male-nominated sector. But, honestly not anymore. This has already been eliminated. We see female Captains and we see female, Chief Officers and in the other departments, as well. Judging people based on their sex must stop and we are already making progress. You need to be judged by your abilities, not by gender. Apart from this, of course both genders are important in a working environment.” 

Is there or has there been a particular figure who inspired you in your profession?

“Yes! In general, people who have managed to succeed starting from zero . This could be anyone, in any working environment. I read their books , as many have written autobiographies and it’s really impressive, they transmit so much positivity. I admire people who had nothing and started from scratch to reach the top.” 

Many women in leadership roles state that, unlike men, a professional woman “is not allowed to make mistakes.” Do you agree with this statement? Do you think society is more forgiving of men when they err?

“Mmmm… that’s a good question . I believe that we have, as we say, ‘all eyes on me’ . You know, like : Who is she? Is she really a Captain? What is she doing ? We aren’t used to seeing women in these roles, and when we do we watch their every move and action. And , if a woman makes a mistake it is more likely to be noticed. Even though, everybody make mistakes. No matter if you are a man or woman. The important thing is how grave that mistake was and what were the consequences. I have seen men make mistakes and nobody says anything. I have seen women make mistakes and the entire yachting industry discusses it. I mean, let’s be logical. Each of us, should do their job and care for their yacht. And what a colleague should do is to assist and help and not judge.” 

What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career like yours?

“To move on, to go for it. To begin . To get out of their comfort zone. To be ready and face every kind of situation and difficult people . And not to give up. I believe in hard and humble work and that it leads to good things. But , you need to be ready to overcome your limits. Do it. There will be moments where you will think it is over, but no darling it’s not. It’s just the beginning!”