It’s International Women’s Day next week, so today, we’re honouring all the pioneering women sailors who broke convention and took to the sea – the captains, the lady deckhands, the first women to win races, those who circumnavigated the world – even the women pirates!

The presence of women onboard has come a long way. Until the early 20th century, women were banned from most seafaring professions, leading some to disguise themselves as men to spend time on a ship.

For centuries, women were deemed bad luck on boats. Sailing superstition suggested a woman’s presence would distract the men and anger the gods, resulting in violent storms, high swells, and discord.

Thankfully, these antiquated days have now passed. Today, many women take the helm or have careers in the navy or onboard yachts, and we are thankful to have assisted many lady captains, chefs, stewardesses, and crew.

But who led the way for the yachting women of today?

Let’s find out.

Here’s a look at some of the great women sailors throughout history.

Photo Credit: History UK

Lagertha, The Viking Maiden

Let’s start with Lagertha, a Danish Viking Shieldmaiden in the 12^th century. Fans of The Vikings may be familiar with Lagertha, as the character of the same name, played by actress Katheryn Winnick, was based on  this fearless warrior woman.

According to passages in the Gesta Danorum, a 12th-century chronicle detailing Danish history by Saxo Grammaticus, Lagertha was the first wife of Viking King Ragnar Lothbrok. The Viking King is said to have fallen in love with her, having seen how she ruled ships and fought like a man during a bloody battle against Frodo, an evil warlord who murdered the ruler of Norway at that time.

If the old Norse legends are to be believed, Lagertha was one of the first women ever to rule the sea, although the accuracy of these stories and even Lagertha’s existence is often questioned.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Grace O’Malley, “The Pirate Queen”

Born in Ireland in 1530, Grace O’Malley was the daughter of Lord Umhail, the Chief of the O’Malley clan, a group of seafarers with a large territory towards the West of County Mayo.

According to laws at the time, only sons were allowed to inherit ships and territories. However, despite having a brother, Grace received her father’s ships and fortune and took over the leadership of his clan. Grace went on to defend her territory on several occasions, organised a truce with Queen Elizabeth I, and even had her first child onboard a ship,

Grace is now often referred to as “The Pirate Queen”, and many novels and stories have been written about her achievements. There is also a statue of Grace at Westport House in County Mayo, as pictured above.

Photo Credit: Historic UK

Mary Read and Anne Bonny, The Pirates

Mary Read and Anne Bonny were ruthless pirates who sailed the seas during the 18^th century. Read was the daughter of a sea captain whose mother dressed her up as a boy on her father’s passing to ensure they continued to receive an income.

Mary, or Mark as she became known, enjoyed life as a man – so much that she fooled the British military and was accepted onboard a ship. However, her life as a shipmate was short-lived, as she fell in love and confessed to a Flemish soldier and got married, ending her military career.

Upon her husband’s death, Mary found herself struggling for money again, so she turned back to life as a man. She accepted a shipmate role on a vessel that set sail for the Caribbean. She then joined the gang of pirates that ambushed the ship, where she learnt her skills and found love with Anne Bonny, a woman onboard who was also disguised as a man.

Legend would suggest that Mary, Anne, and the pirate captain, Jack Rackman, formed a love triangle until their capture in 1720. Although little information is documented about the lives of Jack and his pirate ladies, Mary and Anne were two of the first women to be officially convicted as pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy in the 1700s, both managing to escape hanging by stating they were pegnant.

Photo Credit: Lewisham Heritage

Mary Lacy, The First Woman to be Recognised By The British Admiralty

Mary Lacy was arguably the first woman ever to pass an exam and be given an official pension by the British Admiralty. Mary was another lady who dressed as a man from the age of nineteen to forge a life for herself onboard a navy ship heading to fight in the Seven Years’ War.

During her time on board, Mary, known as William Chandler, suffered many hardships and even came down with rheumatic fever, which led to her hospitalisation in 1760. On recovery, she took to the sea again and passed the exams to become an official shipwright in 1770.

Unfortunately, rheumatism got to her once again, making her unable to continue her military career. This prompted Mary to confess to being a woman and apply for her official pension from the Admiralty using her real name. Her pension was eventually granted.

Photo Credit: RNLI

Grace Darling, The Lighthouse Keepers Daughter

Grace Darling, the daughter of lighthouse keeper William Darling, was born in Northumberland in 1815 and grew up around the sea. On the 7^th of September 1838, whilst watching a storm from a window, she spotted the wreck of the British steamship Forfarshire, which had run into rocks on Big Harcar during a storm.

Deeming the trip too risky for the lifeboat, Grace and her father took to the sea in a rowing boat on a mission to save the stranded sailors. Sadly, 43 of the crew had died, but the father-daughter duo managed to save the lives of nine men during the operation. Once the news of their actions became public, Grace and her father were awarded the Silvery Medal for Bravery. They also received many gifts and rewards, including £50 directly from Queen Victoria.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz, First Woman to Sail Around the World Single-Handed

Now we’re on to April 1978, when Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz from Poland became the first woman to sail the world single-handed. Starting from the Canary Islands in March 1976 and completing her 31,166 nautical mile trip in 401 days, she faced many challenges. She weathered many storms during her 2-year journey to achieve this groundbreaking title and go down in history as one of the most pioneering women sailors of all time.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Dame Naomi James, DBE, First Woman to Sail Solo Around Cape Horn

The story of Dame Naomi James is interesting, as she was raised on an inland sheep farm in New Zealand and couldn’t even swim until the age of 23 – let alone sail yachts!

Naomi’s love for sailing started when she met her future husband, Rob James, a skipper of a charter boat, in 1975. Rob taught her the basics of sailing, and after just six weeks of experience, she announced her plans to sail solo around the world.

It took 2 years for Naomi to raise the funds and sponsorship necessary to run the trip, which she started in Dartmouth in September 1977 and completed 272 days later, in June 1978. Despite nearly losing the mast of her 53-foot yacht, capsizing, and losing radio contact for many weeks, Naomi became the first woman to navigate solo around the world along the clipper route via Cape Horn and was named New Zealand’s Sailor of the Year in 1978 and officially recognised as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1979 – a remarkable achievement.

Photo Credit: Jessica Watson’s Website

Jessica Watson, The Youngest Person to Solo Circumnavigate the World

Our last mention of great women sailors is for young Queenslander Jessica Watson, who sailed solo and unassisted around the world in 2010 at the age of just 16. Although she didn’t achieve the minimum distance of 21,600 nautical miles to be officially recognised by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, she did indeed sail solo around the world and became the 2011 Young Australian of the Year and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia as a result. In the years that followed, Jessica wrote a book detailing her experience, a documentary titled 210 Days was made about her journey, and in 2024, Netflix released a movie called True Spirit documenting Jessica’s phenomenal achievement.