Inspirational Women in Yachting - Captain Leigh Love
As part of our International Women’s Day series, we are taking the opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the inspirational women in yachting.
The yachting industry is predominantly male, with women comprising only 2% of yacht captains and 4% of chief officers. It's not just those filling positions on yachts, but also those in senior business positions, where women make up only 17% of board directors.
Captain Leigh Love is one of our inspirational women in yachting, here she tells us a little bit about what it’s like to be a female captain in the yachting industry, her career highlights, challenges and the one inspirational woman she would invite to dinner if she got the chance. Captain of the 155-foot M/Y Zeal, Love hails from South Africa with a career of 20 years in yachting.
“It is never easy to overcome a lifetime of bias, but we can encourage each other to take the risk and reach for our goals” -
Captain Leigh Love
Tell us a bit about your journey of how you became a yacht captain?
“I started as a Stew in yachting in 2003. Back then it didn’t seem like it was even an option for a female to work on deck. I met the only female captain I know of at that time in Antibes, her name is Lucy Jones and I thought she was the coolest person, I never told her, but she inspired me to become a captain. I quickly realised that being a stew was not for me and just over a year later, I decided to make a jump over to deck. ”
My then boyfriend, now husband and I got a job together on a boat where he was the mate and I was the deckhand, we worked together on deck for almost 12 years, making our way through the ranks until he was the captain, and I was the mate. Greg has been absolutely amazing, he has always pushed and encouraged me towards my goal. Eventually, we got to a point where our qualifications had merged, and I was ready to grow in my career without him. Once I got my Chief Mate 3000gt ticket I decided to start freelancing so that I could have the freedom to go see Greg in between jobs. I also decided to give big boats a go, up until then I had only been on vessels under 40 meters. My first officers’ position was as temp 2nd officer of the 90m, Nero. Over the next few years, I helped them out on numerous occasions for crossings as well doing 11 months as chief officer onboard. I had several vessels who would call me whenever they needed an officer to fill in.
Eventually, I got enough sea time to do my Master 3000GT. With that ticket, I was able to get a full-time position as Chief Officer/ Relief Captain on a 55m. I did my first Mediterranean charter season as Captain on there. After that, I joined the 47m M/Y Zeal as full-time Captain. It has been a challenging but really awesome 20 months onboard. We are a very successful charter boat with an amazing crew and one of the best owners I have worked for in yachting.
What is your favorite aspect of the job?
I really love the challenge and constant stimulation that working on a charter yacht brings. We are always busy going places, meeting amazing, and yes sometimes meeting not such amazing people. But I don’t think I could ever do a regular office job of any kind, where I’m not lucky enough to see the worlds best sunrises and sunsets all the time.
What has been your biggest challenge as a female captain?
Getting my foot in the door and securing a Captain’s position was a massive challenge. At one point before I joined Zeal, I was told so many times that they are not accepting female applicants, that I very nearly considered leaving yachting. Thankfully Fairport yacht management gave me the opportunity to prove myself.
“At one point before I joined Zeal, I was told so many times that they are not accepting female applicants, that I very nearly considered leaving yachting”
Do you have any standout moments or highlights in your career?
So many things come to mind, I have chartered with celebrities, seen some of the world’s most amazing places but getting my first command as captain and finally reaching the goal I set out to achieve would be my #1.
2% of yacht captains are female. How do you think the yachting industry can improve this?
I would like to think that we as an industry are already working to improve this. There are so many more females on deck now compared to when I first started yachting. I do think that more articles like this would help, we need to highlight our achievements and encourage women to break through the old school mindset that says this is a man’s world.
It is never easy to overcome a lifetime of bias, but we can encourage each other to take the risk and reach for our goals. Those of us in a position to hire should offer equal opportunity and hopefully more and more Captains will do the same when they see our success.
Have you encountered many hurdles in your career due to your sex?
For sure, I have been the victim of the “boys club”, encountered blatant bias and narcissism, but I don’t like to focus on the hurdles, I’d rather focus on the victories.
What would you say to any females out there dreaming of a career as a yacht captain?
I’d say, “GO FOR IT”! It’s not an easy journey and you will need to work harder and push yourself further, never settle for less. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, show them that you can! Take pride in what you do and do it well, actions speak louder than words. Every battle in life starts in your mind first, so if you believe in yourself then it’s just a matter of time before that materializes into reality. Surround yourself with people who will push you and challenge you to achieve your goals, leave the naysayers in the dust!
If you could have dinner with one inspirational woman, dead or alive, who would that be and what would you say to her or ask her?
Meeting Amelia Earhart would be inspirational. I’d be interested to know more about how she grew up and the life experiences that molded her into the brave, pioneering woman she was.