Seagoing Women: Author Sara Donnelly & Panel Talk with Water Women At Work

About this event

Adults (18+). Journalist, mariner, and author of Seagoing Women: At Work, Sara Donnelly, creates captivating portraits of thirty-three women who have built remarkable careers on the water, everything from tugboat operators and commercial fishers to naval architects and whale researchers. Through vivid first-person accounts, this panel talk will offer a rare glimpse at offshore life: the physical demands, long stretches away from home, ingenuity required in unpredictable conditions and deep sense of purpose shared by those whose lives are tied to the ocean. Moderated by Donnelly, this panel talk will feature: Ocean Rutherford - West Coast Canadian mariner, tugboat deckhand, commercial fisher, and children's book author from Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Ocean Rutherford made headlines in December 2023 as part of the first all-female tugboat crew in SAAM Towage Canada's 70-year history. Weyla Chipps - After raising four children and working as an education assistant in the Sooke School District, Weyla Chipps of the Scia’new First Nation seized the chance to train for a new life at sea: working on anchor handlers in the North Sea and embarking on adventures through the Bermuda Triangle and along the Panama Canal.Connie Bell-Irving - Originally from Australia, Connie Bell-Irving became the first woman on the BC coast to command oil barges and later the first in Canada to receive Transport Canada's full endorsement as Supervisor of an Oil Transfer Operation. Today she is part of HaiSea Marine in Kitimat, the world's first partnership of its kind between the Haisla Nation and Seaspan, operating the most sustainable tug fleet in the industry. Join in to be inspired by the stories and career experiences that highlights determination, skill and resilience in a profession defined by adventure, challenge and reward. Presented as part of Women's History Month. Please note that the program time is 7:00 to 8:00 pm Eastern Time (Toronto). Registration: This virtual event i