Below deck, above expectations: The North East woman making waves in a male dominated industry

I look forward to the day when a female pilot, deck officer or engineer can be referred to only as that – without the prefix of being female.

Kristina Hogg

From an early age, Kristina Hogg was immersed in the maritime world with the allure of the endless adventures of the ocean. It was a passion that ran through generations of her family and still remains strong all these years later.

The family’s passion for the maritime world stemmed from Kristina’s Grandad, who relished a project and used to build his own sailing dinghies and yachts in his spare time.

Her Dad inherited this love for sailing, and Kristina used to join him on many weekends and summer holidays, cruising the East coast of England and Scotland during her childhood on a 24ft Sloop that her Grandad had built.

Being on the water filled Kristina with a sense of exhilaration and adventure that is almost impossible to replicate and that is a feeling that she has carried throughout her life.

“Whether you’re in flat calm conditions where the sea is almost like glass, to having dolphins race the boat on your bow wave, to being at the mercy of heavy seas – there’s something enthralling about being on the water.” Said Kristina.

What it's really like to work on a superyacht below deck

It seemed inevitable that Kristina would take this childhood passion to the next step and pursue it as a career when she got older. However, this wasn’t always the plan.

She also had a love for art and design and opted to study Fashion Design at university. But after graduating, Kristina lost the drive to work in the creative industry.

This gave her time to reflect and decide on her next steps. During this period, she recalled a conversation with her father some years earlier, during which he ‘eagerly presented’ Kristina and her brother with superyacht training programs.

“I circled back to this as an option when thinking of what to do next and decided I’d give this a go.  I did my basic safety courses and showed up in Mallorca to look for work.  Within a week, I had a job as a deckhand on a classic motor yacht”, said Kristina. “To begin with, I didn’t have a long-term plan; it just seemed like a good way to see the world and be at sea.”

After being promoted to bosun, Kristina thought she could make a career in this field. She progressed through the ranks throughout the years and won a ‘Lifelong Learning Award’ through The Marine Society.  Kristina was never far from her sewing machine and put her creative skills to use during her time on board by designing and creating covers and awnings for the yachts she worked on.

From cruising the East coast of England and Scotland with her Dad as a child to travelling the world, the ocean has given Kristina incredible memories of global adventures.

Typically, the cruising area that Kristina worked across was the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Therefore, she found it most exciting when she was able to venture further afield, which she was able to do on the first yacht she worked on.

“We cruised the Baltic Sea, including the Fjords of Norway, the Archipelagos of Sweden, and waterways of Denmark. The Norwegian Fjords were particularly breath-taking and probably the highlight of that summer,” said Kristina. “We also did a summer on the Northeast coast of the US, where we were berthed in Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. It was a great way to see the New York skyline and the Statue of Liberty.”

What it's really like to work on a superyacht below deck
What it's really like to work on a superyacht below deck

Throughout history, the maritime industry has been male-dominated, and it could have traditionally been difficult for women to access equal opportunities. For example, one study showed that of the 1.89m seafarers across the globe, only 2% of those are female.

Kristina wasn’t deterred by the gender barriers that stood in her way. Instead, she smashed the glass deckhead in pursuit of achieving her dreams.

“Although it’s typical for females to take on roles in service and housekeeping, I didn’t feel bound by this norm. I was never in doubt that I wanted to work on deck. I was sure that having been around boats from a young age, there should be no reason I wouldn’t be able to,” said Kristina.

She added: “Perhaps this was naïve of me, or perhaps it gave me the resilience to persevere.  Honestly, I didn’t pay any attention to anyone who told me I couldn’t do it.”

West Nautical Superyacht Charter

Kristina said that throughout her career, she sometimes felt more scrutinised as a female in a typically male role.  For example, if she were manoeuvring a tender in a port, she would be more likely to be judged on her performance than a male counterpart.

Kristina has noticed that there is a gradual shift with more female deck officers but remarks that it is still heavily weighted towards males.

“I think there are a lot of subtle (and some not-so) gender biases ingrained within society.  People still remark on a female pilot on a plane, and I think we all probably still hear people refer flippantly towards ‘women drivers’,” said Kristina.

“The shift away from this is inherently slow, but I think the more we see women in typically male roles – and see them excelling – the more ‘normal’ this will become.  I look forward to the day when a female Pilot, Deck Officer or Engineer can be referred to only as that – without the prefix of being female.”

After 12 incredible years, Kristina will still be working in the nautical world but instead will be supporting the vessels from shoreside as Vessel manager with Nautical Management Services, West Nautical’s yacht and vessel management division focusing on the building, crew, surveys, and compliance management as well as the more technical aspects of the superyacht and commercial shipping maritime industry.

“I’d been at sea for almost 12 years and was ready for another challenge.  I wanted to continue working in the maritime industry, so I’m delighted to have found a role where I can put my seagoing experience to good use,” she said.

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Laura Kingston
Founder and Editor

Laura is the Founder and Editor of High Life North. She had the idea to set up an exclusively digital women’s magazine after feeling there was a gap in the market in the North East. With over 10 years of experience in marketing and PR, Laura had a very clear…

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