10 Famous Women Seafarers, Female Sailors, And Record Breakers
Women’s Wild History Of The Sea
Okay, buckle up your bootstraps and hoist the mainsail, because we’re diving into a tale of wild women sailors of the sea!
For centuries, the sea was considered a man’s world, where women were seen as bad luck on board—temptresses whose passions would distract sailors, create chaos, and anger the sea gods. But history tells a different, more daring story. It’s a tale of trailblazing famous female sailors, commanders, and pirates who spat in the eye of superstition, shattered expectations, and carved their names into the annals of maritime history.
While these legendary ladies were once the rare exception, today they are part of a growing tide. Yet, the numbers show a long journey ahead: as of 2021, women still make up only 1.2% of the global seafarer workforce, or just over 24,000 individuals.
Far from the sidelines, these women challenged gender roles, risked everything, and left legacies as explorers, warriors, scientists, and strategists. In an age when women were expected to stay ashore, they took the helm — and in doing so, changed the course of maritime history forever.
Dive in to the audacity, defiance, and pure grit of the women who paved the way. From those who disguised themselves to chase a life of freedom to the pirate queens who commanded fleets, these are the inspiring stories of the wildest sailors the seven seas have ever known.
The Pirate Queens: Ruling the Waves Outside the Law
Zheng Yi Sao (1775–1844) – The Most Successful Pirate In History
Zheng Yi Sao was the most successful female pirate in history. Sao, who was also known as Ching Shih, was born into humble circumstances. She initially worked as a prostitute and at the age of 26, married the notorious pirate captain Zheng Yi. After he died in 1807, at 32, she took control of his pirate fleet, transformed it into an unstoppable naval force. and became one of the most powerful pirates in the South China Sea.
- Unprecedented Power: At the height of her reign, she commanded the legendary Red Flag Fleet, an armada of over 300 ships and a crew of 20,000 to 40,000 pirates. To put that in perspective, her personal forces rivaled the navies of many nations.
- A Strict Code of Conduct: She was not just a brute; she was a brilliant administrator. She established a strict code of laws that governed her fleet. Plunder had to be presented for group inspection, all captured goods were registered, and the punishment for disobedience was often beheading.
- Defied an Empire: She successfully defeated Qing dynasty fleets sent to destroy her and even fought off the Portuguese and British. In the end, the Chinese government couldn’t beat her, so they offered her a pardon. She retired with all her loot, a testament to her status as the most successful pirate who ever lived
After she was pardoned by the Chinese emperor, she remarried and ran a successful gambling house. Read her full story in our dedicated post to her in celebration of Women’s History Month.
Sayyida al Hurra (1485–1561) -The Pirate Queen of the Mediterranean
Sayyida al Hurra lived a life of adventure and romance. She was not merely a pirate; she was a queen, a refugee, a warrior, and a power broker of the 16th-century Mediterranean. Born into a prominent Muslim family of Andalusian nobles, she was forced to flee to Morocco after the conquest of Granada by Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile.
Exiled to Morocco, Sayyida rose to become governor of Tétouan, a vital port city on the North African coast. There, she transformed personal loss into political power, swearing vengeance against Spain and Portugal. Her weapon of choice? Piracy.
For over 30 years, she commanded a fleet that terrorized European ships along the western Mediterranean. She forged a strategic alliance with the infamous Oruç Reis Barbarossa, a fearsome Ottoman pirate and admiral. Together, they ruled the seas, he in the east, she in the west.
But Sayyida was more than a pirate commander; she was also a skilled diplomat and ruler. She negotiated directly with European monarchs, wielding influence usually denied to women of her era. She even married the Sultan of Morocco and insisted the wedding take place in her city, making her the only woman in Islamic history to have married a reigning monarch without leaving her seat of power.
Feared by enemies and revered by allies, Sayyida al Hurra remains one of the few women in recorded history to rule both land and sea, a symbol of resistance, leadership, and unyielding independence.
Jeanne de Clisson (1300–1359) – The Lioness of Brittany
In the 14th century, when noblewomen were expected to mourn in silence, Jeanne de Clisson chose a different path: she became a pirate queen fueled by vengeance.
Born into Breton nobility around 1300, Jeanne lived a quiet life of privilege until her world was shattered. Her husband, Olivier de Clisson, a respected nobleman, was publicly executed by King Philip VI of France on dubious charges of treason. His head was displayed on a spike in Nantes as a warning.
But the only message it sent to Jeanne was war.
To raise her fleet, she sold her property and bought three warships. She painted them jet black, flew blood-red sails adorned with the image of her husband’s severed head, as a symbol of her quest for revenge. She launched a reign of terror in the English Channel with her fleet that became known and feared as the Black Fleet.
She allied herself with the English crown, which had its quarrel with France during the Hundred Years’ War. For over 13 years, Jeanne personally led brutal attacks on French ships. She gave no quarter: crews were slaughtered, officers executed, but she always left one or two survivors to carry a message back to the King of France, a chilling reminder that the Lioness of Brittany was still hunting.
Jeanne was not only a feared pirate — she was also a mother of five children. Her most famous child, Olivier V de Clisson, would go on to become Constable of France, the kingdom’s highest-ranking military officer – a wild twist, considering his mother waged a personal war against the French crown.
After years of relentless attacks, King Charles VI of France, recognizing the futility of trying to stop Jeanne’s vengeance, offered her a pardon and the return of her husband’s lands in 1380.
Jeanne accepted the offer and retired from her life of piracy. In her later years, Jeanne lived as a wealthy and respected noblewoman. She became a benefactor of religious institutions and founded a convent near her home.
Mary Read & Anne Bonny – The Caribbean’s Fiercest Female Pirates
Few pirate legends blaze as brightly as the saga of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two women who defied every expectation of 18th-century society to live, fight, and plunder as equals among men. As pirates, they were renowned for their ruthlessness and cunning.
Mary Read was born to the widow of a sea captain who had perished at sea. When Read’s older brother died, to continue getting monetary support from her in-laws, Mary’s mother began dressing her up as a boy. Growing up as a boy, Mary enjoyed it so much that she joined the British military as a man.
She later married a Flemish soldier who died and left her penniless. Once again, she disguised herself as a man and was recruited onto a ship bound for the Caribbean. After pirates ambushed the ship, Mary joined them and fell in love with one of them, who turned out to be another woman in disguise, Anne Bonny.
Anne Bonny, an Irish woman born in the late 17th century, was one of the most famous female pirates. She married a poor sailor named James Bonny against her father’s wishes and moved to Nassau, Bahamas, which was a haven for pirates at the time.
In Nassau, Anne Bonny met the infamous pirate captain John “Calico Jack” Rackham and became enamored with the pirate lifestyle. She abandoned her husband and joined Rackham’s crew, disguising herself as a man to blend in. Bonny was known for her fierce temper, skilled swordsmanship, and refusal to adhere to societal conventions. Once her true gender was revealed, Anne Bonny proved herself to be a fierce fighter and earned the respect of her pirate crew. She was known for her skill with pistols and cutlasses, as well as her fearlessness in battle.
Mary and Anne, together with Captain Jack Rackham, an English pirate captain in the Caribbean, continued to loot and destroy. Legend has it that they formed a love triangle, but in 1720, they were all captured. Mary and Anne managed to delay their hanging by claiming to be pregnant, but Mary fell ill with a fever in prison and died. Anne’s wealthy father bailed her out, she changed her name, and later got married and had eight children.
Which Legendary Woman of the Sea Are You?
The sea has always belonged to women with untamed spirits and unflinching courage. Their power doesn’t just live in history—it lives in you. Take our 2-minute quiz to discover your true nautical archetype. Are you the Commander, the Rebel, the Mystic, or the Trailblazer?
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Commanders and Patriots: Leading Fleets to Victory
Laskarina Bouboulina: The Pirate Admiral of Greek Independence
Born in a prison cell in Constantinople in 1771, Laskarina Bouboulina came into the world already defying empires. Her father, a naval captain and rebel, had been imprisoned by the Ottomans—setting the tone for a life steeped in resistance.
After his death, her mother fled with young Laskarina to the island of Spetses, where the scent of salt air and revolution raised her more than any schoolbook ever could.
Spetses was no quiet fishing village—it was a haven of seafarers, smugglers, and freedom dreamers. Bouboulina grew up among pirates and merchant captains, watching ships come and go and learning the language of sails and strategy before most girls her age were taught to read. Twice widowed by powerful shipowners, she didn’t mourn—she took command, inheriting fleets and fortunes and funneling them into the fire of Greek independence.
She built warships in secret, stockpiled cannons under the nose of the Ottoman Empire, and led a fleet of rebels from her flagship Agamemnon. She wasn’t just fierce—she was feared. Men followed her into battle not because they had to, but because she inspired them with a volcanic mix of charisma, strategy, and unapologetic power. Bouboulina broke every rule written for women—and rewrote history at sea.
Disguised and Determined: Breaking into a Man’s World
Jeanne Baret (1740–1807) – The First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe
Circumnavigating the globe was not a plan for Jeanne Beret. Born into poverty in rural France in 1740, Jeanne showed early brilliance and a deep knowledge of plants. She became the assistant and partner — both professionally and romantically — of renowned botanist Philibert Commerson, who was selected to join Louis Antoine de Bougainville’s historic voyage around the world. But women weren’t allowed aboard French naval ships.
The couple formulated a plan for Baret to disguise herself as a young man, and at dockside before departing for the expedition, offer her services as as Commerson’s assistant.
Unfortunately, her identity was found out during the voyage when they landed in Tahiti. A group of Tahitian men surrounded her and immediately identified her as a woman. She became worried that she might be sexually assaulted, so she revealed her true identity so the crew could save her from what she took to be an imminent sexual assault.
Her contributions were so valuable that she was allowed to continue on the crew. She completed the journey, becoming the first woman known to have sailed around the world.
Mary Lacy (1740–1801) – The Girl Who Became a Shipwright
No history of seafaring can overlook Mary Lacy. She was a British sailor, shipwright, and memoirist who was also the first woman to pass an exam and to receive a pension from the British Admiralty.
Before women were allowed to serve in the Royal Navy, Mary Lacy didn’t ask for permission; she simply became a sailor. Born in 1740, she was a rebellious teen known for giving her mother headaches. At age 19, she made an audacious decision that would shape maritime history: disguised as a boy named William Chandler, she ran away from home and joined the crew of the HMS Sandwich during the Seven Years’ War.
Aboard ship, she endured brutal discipline, fistfights, and rheumatic fever that nearly killed her. After a hospital stay in Portsmouth, she returned to duty aboard the Royal Sovereign, where she served until the war’s end in 1763. Instead of fading into obscurity, Mary took on a new challenge: she became a ship’s laborer at the Chatham dockyard — all while still in disguise.
Against enormous odds, she passed the highly demanding exams to become a certified shipwright in 1770, making her the first woman known to pass such an exam in British naval history. When her health failed the following year, she revealed her true identity and petitioned the Admiralty for a pension under her real name. Astonishingly, they granted it, acknowledging her service and skill not as a curiosity, but as a professional.
Mary Lacy also became a memoirist, writing The Female Shipwrightin 1773, one of the earliest autobiographies by a working-class woman in Britain and one of the first naval autobiographies written by a woman.. Her voice, bold and unflinching, offers a rare and vivid glimpse into the world of 18th-century seafaring from a woman who defied every rule to live life on her terms.
Modern Trailblazers: Shattering Records and Ceilings
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz – First Woman to Sail Solo Around the World
In an era when solo sailing was still seen as a man’s domain, Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz charted a bold new course for women in maritime history. A Polish naval engineer with grit and intellect to match the wild oceans she faced, Krystyna became the first woman to complete a solo circumnavigation of the globe—a feat that spanned over 31,000 nautical miles and took more than a year at sea.
She set sail from the Canary Islands in March 1976, aboard a 31-foot yacht named Mazurek, a vessel her husband had helped design and build. For 401 days, she faced every sailor’s nightmare: ferocious storms, mechanical breakdowns, and the profound solitude of open water. She overcame one particularly harrowing encounter. While sailing somewhere in the vast Pacific, Mazurek struck a whale. The impact damaged her rudder and could have ended the journey right then. But Krystyna, calm under pressure and fiercely determined, made emergency repairs and pressed on. Her determination never wavered.
On April 21, 1978, Krystyna sailed triumphantly back into port, having conquered the oceans and etched her name into the history books. Her solo voyage remains one of the most remarkable achievements in maritime exploration and is credited with inspiring countless women to pursue their own sailing dreams.
A trailblazer in every sense, Krystyna’s legacy is not only one of endurance and courage but of breaking boundaries with brilliance and bravery.
Naomi James – The Hairdresser Who Dared Cape Horn
Long before she became a legend of the sea, Naomi James was cutting hair in New Zealand, unable to swim and unaware that destiny had saltwater in store. Born in 1949, she only learned to swim at 23—just a few years before she would make history as the first woman to sail solo around Cape Horn and complete a solo circumnavigation of the globe in just 272 days.
Inspired by love and a restless spirit, Naomi met renowned sailor Rob James while working aboard an ocean liner bound for Europe. Though she had only six weeks of sailing experience, she boldly told Rob on their honeymoon that she intended to sail around the world—alone, non-stop.
And she did.
From September 1977 to June 1978, Naomi battled storms, isolation, and mechanical failures on her yacht Express Crusader. In doing so, she not only rounded the perilous Cape Horn, a sailor’s Everest, but also broke Sir Francis Chichester’s record for the fastest solo circumnavigation. Her achievement earned her one of Britain’s highest honors: Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1979.
After winning the grueling 2000-mile Round Britain Race alongside her husband, Naomi retired from competitive sailing in 1982, but her legacy endures—an embodiment of boldness, resilience, and the wild pull of the open sea.
Tracy Edwards – The Skipper Who Changed the Face of Sailing
In a world where sailing was still considered a man’s sport, Tracy Edwards charted her course and made nautical history. Best known for skippering the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, she became the first woman to win the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy, shattering stereotypes on a global stage.n a world where sailing was still considered a man’s sport, Tracy Edwards charted her course and made nautical history. Best known for skippering the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, she became the first woman to win the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy, shattering stereotypes on a global stage.
But Tracy’s journey didn’t begin with privilege or a sailing pedigree. As a teenager, she was expelled from school at 15, drifting into rebellion with no formal qualifications and little direction. Searching for purpose, she moved to Greece, where she found work as a stewardess on yachts — and an unexpected new path.
Tracy fell in love with the sea. She worked her way up the hard way, taking jobs as a cook, deckhand, and crew member to gain sailing experience. Her breakthrough came when she joined the 1985 Whitbread Race as a cook, a position few women held, and almost none beyond.
Fueled by frustration at the sexism and gatekeeping rampant in the sport, Tracy launched an audacious campaign: to lead the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Race, making history against a backdrop of sexism and a hounding press that revelled in printing derogatory headlines. The press mocked her, and headlines ridiculed the idea of women at the helm of an ocean-going yacht. Sponsors hesitated. But she persisted.
She had met King Hussein of Jordan while working on a charter yacht, and he became s supporter of her for her campaign in the Whitbread Race. Against all odds, her team’s yacht, Maiden, not only competed but it won two legs of the grueling race and finished second in its class, shocking the sailing world. Tracy became an icon of perseverance, leadership, and transformation, proof that experience and heart matter more than anyone’s expectations.
Her story was later told in the acclaimed 2018 documentary Maiden, and her mission continues today with the Maiden Factor Foundation, promoting education for girls around the world.
The Modern Maritime Landscape: Women by the Numbers
The legacy of these trailblazers lives on. From less than a handful of documented women at sea in the 18th century, the number of female seafarers has grown by nearly 46% between 2015 and 2021 alone. Today, women aren’t just swabbing decks; they are admirals, captains, and engineers, with women making up 28% of the incoming class at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
According to the 2021 BIMCO/ICS Seafarer Workforce Report, which provides one of the most comprehensive recent snapshots of the maritime industry:
- Overall Representation: Women make up only 1.2% of the global seafarer workforce. This translates to approximately 24,059 female seafarers worldwide.
- Sector Dominance: The vast majority of female seafarers (93% of them, in fact) are employed in the cruise ship sector.
- Officer Ranks: Of the women serving at sea, a larger proportion are officers compared to their male counterparts. Approximately 38.8% of female seafarers are officers, while the figure for male seafarers is 25.2%. This suggests that when women do enter the industry, they are increasingly doing so in skilled and leadership-track roles.
Women in Leadership and Naval Roles
- U.S. Navy: As of 2023, women make up approximately 20% of the active-duty U.S. Navy. In the officer corps, about 20% are women, and 13% of the senior enlisted leadership (E-8 and E-9) are female.
- U.S. Coast Guard: The Coast Guard has a higher representation, with women comprising about 15% of the active-duty force. As of 2022, approximately 22% of the officers in the Coast Guard were women.
- U.S. Maritime Academies: Enrollment of women in the six state maritime academies in the U.S. has been steadily increasing. For the 2022-2023 academic year, women made up about 17% of the total student body across these institutions. At the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point), the female enrollment for the class of 2026 was 28%.
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Book Suggestions To Inspire Your Adventures
Here’s Defiance, Adventure, Empowerment, and Women Rewriting The Rules
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
By Shannon Chakraborty
For the reader who loved the Pirate Queens.
Did the tales of Zheng Yi Sao and Sayyida al-Hurra ignite your spirit? Then meet Amina al-Sirafi, a legendary, middle-aged pirate coaxed out of retirement for one last magical heist. A witty, swashbuckling tale of demons, danger, and a woman reclaiming her power on the high seas.
Circe
By Madeline Miller
For the reader who loves a woman who turns exile into empire.
Banished by Zeus, Circe transforms isolation into sovereignty—taming monsters, confronting gods, and writing her own myth. A lush, spellbinding retelling that reminds us women don’t belong in the margins of history.
The Mercies
By Kiran Millwood Hargrave
For the reader fascinated by women’s resilience against the odds.
When a storm kills all the men in a 17th-century village, the women survive by taking to the sea—until power arrives cloaked in piety. Based on a true story, this haunting novel captures the price women have paid for independence.
Non- Fiction
Maiden
By Tracy Edwards
For the reader who wants the inside story from a modern legend.
Tracy Edwards recounts her historic journey as the first woman to skipper an all-female crew in the world’s toughest yacht race. A raw, high-stakes story of leadership, defiance, and proving every doubter wrong.
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret
By Glynis Ridley
For the reader who wants to see a hidden hero get her due.
A gifted botanist who disguised herself as a man to sail around the world, Jeanne Baret’s story is one of brilliance, bravery, and erasure. Ridley brings this forgotten pioneer fully into the light.
Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver
By Jill Heinerth
For the reader seeking a modern-day saga of pure audacity.
One of the world’s top cave divers, Jill Heinerth explores underwater realms more dangerous than space itself. A gripping memoir about risk, survival, and the magnetic pull of the unknown.