A Series About Extraordinary Women Whose Lives are About the Water

Learn more about amazing women around our country who live, work, and have built their lives around the water. From marine photographers, to deep-sea explorers, to commercial fishing boat captains, women are pushing the frontiers on our coasts and in our oceans.

Video Episodes

  • Linda Cornish – Seafood Advocate and Educator, Founder & President of the Seafood Nutrition Alliance
  • Dr. Jyotika Virmani – Oceanographer, Ocean Climate Scientist, & Executive Director at Schmidt Ocean Institute
  • Kirsten Neuschäfer – Solo Sailor, Expedition Skipper, & Golden Globe 2022 Participant
  • Genevieve McDonald – Commercial Fishing Boat Captain & State Politician
  • Carol Cronin – Olympic Sailor & Novelist
  • Josie Iselin – Visual Artist, Author, & Seaweed Activist

Online Interviews

Audience Nominations

About “Women on the Water”


“Women on the Water” Video Episodes

EPISODE 1: Josie Iselin, Artist/Writer/Seaweed Activist

Josie Iselin talks about the vital role seaweed plays in our ocean ecosystems, her work as a visual artist and bookmaker, and the history of the documentation of marine algae.

EPISODE 2: Carol Newman Cronin, Olympic Sailor & Novelist

Carol talks about her experience sailing (and winning!) in the 2004 Olympics, her writing and soon to be released new novel, and how her life as a competitive sailor and as a writer intertwine and feed one another.

EPISODE 3: Genevieve McDonald, Commercial Fishing Boat Captain & State Representative 

Genevieve is a professional lobsterwoman, a politician (state representative for the coastal island communities), and fishing industry advocate… she is also the mom of 2 year old twins. Genevieve talks about her life managing these diverse aspects of her career, her viral “Chix that Fish” campaign that convinced Grundens to launch a line of fishing gear for women, and her deep commitment to the future of the fishing industry.

EPISODE 4: Kirsten Neuschäfer–Solo Sailor, High-latitude Expedition Skipper, Golden Globe 2022 Entrant

Kirsten is a life-long sailor with a boundless thirst for challenge and adventure, who has recently been selected as one of the only women ever to compete in the 2022 Golden Globe Race 2022 — a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation. Participation requires boats with older designs that are under 36 feet, and prohibits use of modern navigational technology!

EPISODE 5: Dr. Jyotika Virmani — Oceanographer, Ocean Climate Scientist, and Leader in Mapping Our Oceans

A truly extraordinary woman: Currently the Executive Director of the world-renowned Schmidt Ocean Institute for ocean research; previously the ED for XPrize’s Planet & Environment Programs, the ED for Florida’s Coastal Ocean Observing System Consortium, and an expert in ocean climate. Jyotika will be talking about her background in ocean and climate studies, how she got into deep sea exploration, and what it’s like to manage one of the world’s leading programs in ocean mapping.

EPISODE 6: Linda Cornish — Seafood Advocate and Educator, Founder & President of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership

Linda Cornish brings a passion for nutrition, public health, local economies, and the health of the planet, to her work as a seafood advocate and educator. In Episode 6 of “Women on the Water” she explains the importance and benefits of eating seafood. From her native roots in Taiwan, to the founding of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership, Linda creatively pushes boundaries to find solutions like the #eatseafoodamerica campaign that provided a lifeline for fishermen during the early phases of the pandemic.

 

“Women on the Water” Interviews

INTERVIEW: Erin Ranney, Wildlife Photographer & Commercial Fisherman

Alicia Biggart, US Harbors’s Content Editor, talks with Erin Ranney, a professional wildlife camerawoman, commercial Salmon fisher and deep sea video engineer about how she got into such varied lines of work.

 

Audience Nominations

Bonnie Karen, Coastal Entrepreneur

When we first started our “Women on the Water” series profiling amazing women whose lives are built around our coasts and the water, we got this incredibly heartfelt email from one of our users nominating his wife Bonnie, the owner and founder of Reel Kind Fishing and Tours in Naples, FL. We were intrigued and inspired to talk to this woman who has worked tirelessly–through real challenges–to follow her passion for fishing, coastal education, and her family.

Lisa “The Boatanista” Almeida, Coastal Entrepreneur

We received an email from Kelly White letting us know about Lisa and her boating advocacy work. Per Kelly’s email, “Lisa is the co-owner of Freedom Boat Club of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach and St. Augustine but her love of the water and all things boating dates back to infancy. Lisa grew up loving the water and boating and bought her first boat at 24 in 1982. Flash forward to 2009, when Lisa came out of early retirement and came on board at Freedom Boat Club.”

Do you know an extraordinary woman of the water that we should be profiling? Submit your suggestion.

 

About “Women on the Water”

SERIES ANNOUNCEMENT: Anastasia Fischer, President of US Harbor

Anastasia gives a brief overview about the upcoming series, who we’re talking to, and what to expect.

Know a woman we should interview? Send us her details!