Womanica

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz (1936-2021) was a Polish naval engineer and yacht captain. In 1978, she became the first woman to ever complete a solo voyage around the world. 

For Further Reading: 

• Meet Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz: The First Woman to Sail Around the World Solo | Article | Culture.pl
• Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz: 1936-2021 - Yachting Monthly

Else Bostelmann (1882-1961) was a German-born scientific illustrator and painter known for bringing the deep sea to life through her vivid and accurate underwater artwork. Working with naturalist William Beebe in the 1930s, she painted marine creatures based on descriptions he gave from his dives in Bermude. Her work helped the public visualize the mysterious world of the ocean’s depths for the first time.

For Further Reading...

Yemaya, also known as Yemoja, is one of the most revered and powerful divine spirits in various Afro-Caribbean religions, associated with fertility and motherhood. Yemaya is the goddess of the ocean and the mother of all living things, and is revered for her nurturing and protective nature. She is the source of and controller of all waters and is seen as the quintessential mother figure.

For Further Reading:

Mary Lacy (1740-1801) was a British sailor, shipwright and memoirist who defied 18th century gender norms by disguising herself as a man to join the Royal Navy. Her memoir, The Female Shipwright, is a great glimpse into maritime life and women’s roles in naval history.

For Further Reading:

• The History of the Female Shipwright eBook
• Mary Lacy: The History of The Female Shipwright by L...

Mary Becker Greene (1867-1949) was a steamboat pilot and captain who began her career in the late 1800s. A pilot for over 50 years, she was the only licensed female steamboat captain on the Ohio River. Along with her husband Gordon C. Greene, she also co-owned Greene Line Steamers, one of the most important steamboat companies of its time. She passed away at age 80, onboard the Delta Queen, the Greene Line’s most famous passe...

Naomi James (1949-present) was the first woman to single-handedly sail around the world via the dangerous Cape Horn route. Her voyage broke Sir Francis Chichester's world record for fastest solo circumnavigation by just two days. 

For Further Reading:

• Fatigue at Sea: A Circumnavigator’s Story
• The woman who sailed solo around the world
• Unlikely Round‐the‐World Sailor Learned Haw on the Way
• Around the World in 272 Day...

Ama are Japanese female fisherwomen and free divers who plunge into the ocean without oxygen tanks, or other modern diving equipment. They dive for shellfish and seafood, particularly abalone. In recent years, their numbers have declined as climate change has taken its toll and the diving population has grown older. Today, they remind us of the importance of tradition and environmental stewardship.

For Further Reading: 

<...

Emma Kaʻilikapuolono Metcalf Beckley Nakuina (1847-1929) was a highly regarded authority on Hawaiian water rights law and unofficially considered Hawaii’s first female judge. Descended from an American sugar planter and a Hawaiian high chiefess, she was born a kaukau ali’i and educated in cultural customs and water rights from a young age. She was a curator of the Hawaiian National Museum, a Commissioner of Private Ways...

Tracy Edwards (1962 - Present), MBE skippered the first-ever all-female crew in the 1989/90 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race. She is the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year trophy and has created many sailing crews to battle gender prejudice on the ocean.

For Further Reading: 

• Tracy Edwards Website
• Girl Power Talk, Interview with Tracy Edwards
• The O...

Jeanne de Clisson (1300-1359) is known as the “Lioness of Brittany.” She was a 14th-century French/Breton noblewoman who turned to piracy in order to avenge her husband’s death. 

For Further Reading:

• Jeanne de Clisson - French Women & Feminists in History: A Resource Guide 
• Jeanne de Clisson, The Lioness of Brittany - The Hundred Years War 

Mary Jane Rathbun (1860-1943) was a marine zoologist who discovered thousands of species of crabs. Her work helped establish the basic taxonomy of crustaceans. 

For Further Reading

• Mary Jane Rathbun: Hail the Crustacean Queen!
• Mary Jane Rathbun American marine zoologist
• Mary Jane Rathbun Papers, 1886-1938 and undated

This month, we&rs...

Lagertha was a Viking shield-maiden who is said to have ruled in the 9th century AD in what is now Norway She was the first wife of Ragnar Lothbrok, King of the Vikings and a skilled warrior and sea commander. In one such instance, Ragnar sent to Norway for support in a battle he was losing, and Lagertha came to his aid with 120 ships playing a decisive role in the victory of this battle.

For Further Reading:

Lehua Kamalu (c. 1980-present) was the first woman in modern history to captain and navigate a voyaging canoe using the traditional Polynesian practice of wayfinding. Without maps or GPS, she navigated the Pacific Ocean using cues from the currents, the winds and the stars. 

For Further Reading:

• This woman navigated a 3,000-mile Pacific voyage without maps or technology
• Talk Story wit...

Radhika Menon is the first female captain in the Indian Merchant Navy. In 2016, she became the first woman to receive the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea following a successful rescue mission that saved the lives of seven fishermen. 

For Further Reading:

• BBC, Indian woman wins top bravery award
• IndiaTimes, The Life of Radhika Menon
• Times of India, Raise Voice
• ABB, At the Helm

This ...

Annie Edson Taylor (unknown –1921) was an American schoolteacher best known as the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. 

For Further Reading:

• Overlooked No More: Annie Edson Taylor, Who Tumbled Down Niagara Falls Into Fame - The New York Times’
• Annie Taylor: First Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel

This month, we’...

Molly Malone is one of the most famous cultural figures in Ireland and in Dublin city, her legend stemming from the 19th-century ballad “Cockles and Mussels.” Described as a beautiful young fishwife, Molly is said to have roamed the cobbled streets of Dublin by day, crying “cockles and mussels, alive, alive-o!”

For Further Reading: 

• Tourists’ groping of Irish statue prompts ‘Leave Molly...

Maria Klenova (1898-1976) was a Russian and Soviet marine geologist who, over her nearly 30-year-long career, researched polar regions, marine geology, and advanced the field of Russian marine science. She was the first woman scientist to conduct research in Antarctica.

For Further Reading: 

• The Legendary Maria Klenova
• The First Women in Antarctica
• Ten Pioneering Wo...

Sedna is known as the powerful Inuit sea goddess who rules over all marine animals. Hunters must honor and appease her to ensure a successful catch, as she controls the availability of seals, whales, and other sea creatures. She remains a central figure in Inuit spirituality, symbolizing the deep connection between humans, animals, and the sea.

For Further Reading: 

• The Legend of Sedna the Sea Goddess
<...

Ida Lewis (1842-1911) was an American lighthouse keeper for the Lime Rock Lighthouse, in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island. She was renowned for her swimming and rowing skills which she employed to save the lives of many civilians, most famously, the lives of two soldiers in 1869. 

For Further Reading: 

• Ida Lewis—Lighthouse Keeper, Lifesaver and “The Bravest Woman in America”