Happy International Women's Day everyone. Thanks Interislander for sharing Pearls story with us!
Meet Pearl, an Interislander AB (Able Bodied Seafarer). In addition to her work loading and unloading Aratere, Pearl performs the Quartermaster role, steering the vessel through the closed waters of Wellington Harbour and the Marlborough Sounds. This International Women's Day (March 8) we celebrate the women of Interislander like Pearl, who are forging a path to the bridge of the ship. Pearl says navigating a big vessel like Aratere takes full concentration, especially entering the narrow Tory Channel if there are high winds and strong tides. Pearl first worked on Interislander’s previous ships Arahura and Aratika back in 1998 as a “stewardess” as they were called then - these days they are cabin attendants. In the 2000’s she worked on super yachts in the Mediterranean, which she says was a great and fancy way to travel the world. But she says working on Interislander is fancy in other ways: “What a wonderful office that is, up on the bridge – you see wild animals, dolphins, the odd whale, albatross, such special things.” Pearl says there a few women in AB roles at Interislander but she’d like to see more so she’s encouraging her younger female cabin attendant colleagues to consider that career step. “I tell them, there’s nothing stopping you, only yourself. It’s a great skill and you can work anywhere in the world!” #InternationalWomensDay2025 #IWD2025