A new YouTube channel, hosted by the Women in Boatbuilding CIC (community interest company), is launching a mini-series documenting what women worked on in British boatyards this summer.

Three short programmes have been created from the summer ‘British Boatbuilders Tour 2023’, and the trio of episodes will be released throughout this month.

Episode 1 – The South Coast – premieres at 7pm on 6 October 2023. Episode 2 – Cornwall – premieres at 7pm on 13 October 2023, and Episode 3 – The East Coast – goes live at 7pm on 20 October 2023.

All episodes will be available for free on the Women in Boatbuilding YouTube channel.

For the series, American Fellowship student and filmmaker Annie Means, who is undertaking fellowship studies into gender stereotypes in the marine world, toured yards on the South Coast, Cornwall, and the UK’s East Coast over three weeks in August. She filmed and interviewed women working hands-on to capture a snapshot of their experiences.

All boatbuilders were asked the same questions, focusing on their skills and work. However, many also talked about their gender in relation to their work, so the interviews are billed as an honest, insightful, inspiring and fun reflection of some incredible women.

The episodes showcase the work of women in a diverse set of roles in yards – from cover-makers to shipwrights and laminators to electricians. They showcase the full range of scale in boatyards – from the enormity of Sunseeker International to Abbey Boatbuilder in her one-woman yard in Norfolk, and everything in between.

Several yards that were approached have no women working hands-on, some have between one and 100, and some are yards owned and run by the women that were interviewed.

“The one thing all boatbuilders we spoke to have in common is their passion about their jobs and their conviction that there is a place for everyone in the industry,” says Belinda Joslin, founder of Women in Boatbuilding.

“The aim of the tour was to create content that shares the skills and experiences of some of the amazing women and the work they are doing, to inspire others and further grow the community of women who are working hands-on in yards.”

Earlier this year, Marine Industry News joined forces with organisations including METSTRADE to create a LinkedIn group focused on female professionals working in the recreational marine industry: the ‘Women in the Marine Industry International’ LinkedIn group.

In March 2023, Women in Boatbuilding launched its first official mentoring programme with the support of The Worshipful Company of Shipwrights. The programme offers 10 boatbuilders the opportunity to be matched and mentored by women working in the industry in a similar or complementary role.

Main image courtesy of Rick Tomlinson/Team SCA/Volvo AB.

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