subject: FIRST FEMALE SHIP CAPTAIN FOR P&O CRUISES [print this page] FIRST FEMALE SHIP CAPTAIN FOR P&O CRUISES
So it was in April of this year, that it was all hail to Sarah Breton who took charge of P&O Cruises 1200 passenger ship Artemis'. Sarah becomes the first female Captain in P&O Cruises illustrious 173 year history. Sarah first joined the cruise line as a third officer in 1989 serving aboard the Artemis', how rewarding it must now be to return as her first female Captain.
Sarah has served on many P&O Cruise ships, Sky Princess' and Canberra', Pacific Princess', Grand Princess' and the Star Princess', holding many important positions from Third/Second/First officer, Navigator and Safety Officer. She was promoted to Staff Captain in 2001 aboard the Pacific Princess'
Sarah grew up near the water and has always loved boats and the ocean, so happily she now feels that by becoming P&O Cruise's first female Captain she has at last fulfilled a lifelong ambition.
Although Sarah is not the first women to set sail for a cruise line, she was pipped to the post back in 2001, when Karin Stahre Janson took command of Royal Caribbean's 2,400 passenger ship Monarch of The Seas', thus making her the world's first female Captain of a major cruise ship. Karin began her career when she was just 19 years old aboard a small petroleum tanker which sailed around the coastal waters of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Karin started at the lowest rank of Junior Seaman, and was only there to try it out for six weeks. Her duties were as you would expect, scrubbing the decks, chipping of rust, greasing the pumps, all in all she did whatever was needed. Although these jobs were at times hard and menial Karin knew that a life upon the seas was for her. So she enrolled in Cadet School with the hope of getting to the bridge to navigate a ship of her own.
The role of Captain is a complex and diverse one, not only being responsible for the speed and location of the ship, but being held accountable for the safety of its passengers and ship's crew. The Captain has to know all the relevant navigational information for ports that the ship will be docking at. Also be keenly aware of how to handle any emergencies such as fire, terrorist threat, and adverse weather conations. On the other side a ship's Captain is now hailed a celebrity there are many functions and dinners' to attend; guests for instance like to take home a picture of themselves and the captain. It is true to say that many people return to cruise holidays again and again, and many have a favourite ship or indeed a favourite ship's Captain.
Combine all of these duties with the dedication that it takes to complete 5 to 9 years of working through the ranks; it is obvious that the career of ship's Captain is not for the faint hearted.
One of the more interesting questions is why we haven't seen more female Captains aboard mayor cruise ships before? Shipping was a boom trade back in the 1940's and 50's, but it was notoriously hard physical work, and therefore male dominated. Opportunities are now open for women to educate themselves, free of the horrendous discrimination that was dominant in the earlier part of the century. The doors of education are now open to all, so women have the opportunities to progress in male dominated areas of Industry, Technology and Science.
With change the world has opened up in a new and exciting way offering future generations of women opportunities once only dreamed of, and gallantly leading the way at the helm of the P&O Cruises passenger ship Artemis' is their first female captain, Sarah Breton.
