Anne-Marie Asselin, 48, from Chicoutimi, has been sailing the seas since her student days at the Institut maritime du Québec (IMQ) in Rimouski. After the birth of her children, she turned to shore-based positions in the marine industry. She tells us about the 25 years she spent in the merchant navy, a sector still unfamiliar to Quebecers and where women are still in the minority.
According to Anne-Marie, although Québec's history is closely linked to the St. Lawrence, which is a river, an estuary and a gulf all at once, we do not have a maritime tradition here, and the related trades are not yet part of our culture and traditions. "Few people know about the institute, and as this national school no longer has any campuses in Montreal or Québec, not many students interested in the programs they offer are willing to leave and study far away."
The Call of Travel Anne-Marie Asselin has been sailing the seas since her student days at the Institut maritime du Québec (IMQ). She is telling us about her 25 years in the merchant navy. Anne-Marie Asselin made this choice at the age of 18, eager for new adventures and in the difficult economic context of the 90s. "I am the youngest in a family of four," she says. "When the time came for me to choose a career, my brother and sister, who went to university, struggled to find work. They strongly encouraged me to look into technical training. I was a young woman who was athletic and disciplined but not very enthusiastic about school, so the idea appealed to me.
"In the college guide, I looked for the highest placement rate with a good salary, and the navigation course caught my interest. I had always loved the water, the sea, and travel, it made me dream - I was a competitive swimmer, a lifeguard, and we had a small family sailboat. I really wanted to get away from Chicoutimi and experience something else, so I called and simply asked: do you accept girls? The following fall, I started my college studies."
A Unique Type of School To complete one's training, one must do several internships at sea. These are generally described as intense adaptation experiences. The Institut maritime du Québec is Canada's only French maritime training centre. When Anne-Marie studied there, there were few students and even fewer women. "It's a really pleasant environment with great people and a stimulating student life," she recalls.
"I made friendships for life there." Anne-Marie learned to find her way with instruments, sextants, and nautical charts. This was before GPS came into our lives! The training also requires skills in math and physical sciences. The young student was passionate about astronomy and enjoyed working on deck, as she always liked manual work.
Interning at Sea At IMQ, Anne-Marie learned to use instruments, sextants and nautical charts. The training also requires skills in mathematics and physical sciences. The training at IMQ is interspersed with long stints at sea. These internships are generally described as an intense and often difficult adaptation experience. Anne-Marie admits it was quite a shock to find herself as a cadet the first summer on a ship bound for the Mediterranean for three months. She was 19 at the time and had little experience. "On board, the navigation officers were all British and the crew of sailors were Indian. I spoke basic English, I was the only woman and everything was new to me."
She then sailed with a Serb-Croat crew as the war in Croatia was bringing about the collapse of former Yugoslavia. "There were no political discussions on the ship. The Croats and Serbs were colleagues.
“But we could feel the effects of the war, we even had to pick up a shipment of weapons in the port of Montreal!" During her four years of training, the apprentice navigator had various internship experiences. "Each trip was a great experience," she recalls. "You can find yourself on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, a bulk carrier in the Great Lakes, or even a big oil tanker in Asia. When you are at sea, it’s the time to learn the trade from the navigation officers."
Woman on Board! Many opportunities exist to move ashore in the marine industry. After the birth of her daughter, Anne-Marie worked as a navigation teacher, as an assistant to the director of operations for a fleet of tankers and also worked for the Laurentian Pilotage Authority before joining the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ). In addition to operating in a physical environment with hazards, a self-contained workspace must be shared. This can lead to conflicts and unpleasant situations. We asked Ann-Marie if she has ever been a victim of discrimination. "No, I have certainly been lucky, but all my experiences have been positive and respectful. I am independent, kind of in my own bubble, I have always felt comfortable around men."
She adds that she was cautious. "I always preferred to be with the crew, rather than form close relationships with only a few individuals, and on all of my ships, I was able to have a solo cabin, where I liked to take refuge and read."
Leadership and Loneliness Her current position as a marine safety coordinator for STQ requires her to be in contact with mariners and travel as far as Basse-Côte-Nord, where there are no roads and marine services are essential. In 1994, right before graduating, Anne-Marie took the exams to obtain her first standard. Afterward, she worked as a merchant navy officer on various ships until 2000. Far from the stereotypes, the daily life of a navigation officer is full of responsibilities and requires teamwork and being far from your family. "This is not a field for the emotional or melancholic," she says. "You must be independent, self-reliant, strong, physically and mentally, and willing to work in the middle of the night when the ship is sailing into port, or on Christmas Eve. At that time, being away was okay for me; it was part of my life."
The job also requires spatial awareness, respect for hierarchy, which is essential for safety, and a strong team spirit. "On a boat, it's like a family. It's not the place to be contentious or resentful."
Still Few Women Parity is far from being achieved in the technical trades taught at the institute. Female enrollment remains low (about 18%), especially in mechanics (less than 8%).
Among the reasons given for the absence of women among crew or the low retention of female personnel, there is a consensus on the difficult working conditions (being far from relatives, long shifts, isolation) as well as the incompatibility between motherhood and a career at sea . This was Anne-Marie's experience: after her first pregnancy, she did not go back out to sea.
Career Path Fortunately, there are many opportunities to move ashore in the marine industry. After the birth of her daughter, Anne-Marie worked as a navigation teacher and as an assistant to the director of operations for a fleet of oil tankers. She also worked for the Laurentian Pilotage Authority before joining the Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) in 2010, where she took on various coordination, supervision and inspection challenges. "There are more and more women in management and inspection roles," rejoices Anne-Marie. "But being at sea while being a mother is almost impossible. I admire women who have become captains or even St. Lawrence pilots."
A Love Affair With the Sea Her current position as a marine safety coordinator for STQ requires her to be in contact with mariners and travel as far as Basse-Côte-Nord where there are no roads and marine services are essential. Her experience as a navigator gives her credibility when she has to intervene with certain captains who don't like being told what to do.
Although her children are now grown up, Anne-Marie does not know if she will ever go back out to sea. "I have always loved big open spaces. The sea calms me, soothes me. I love the atmosphere in the wheelhouse, and the sunsets and sunrises when crossing the Atlantic are unforgettable."
1. Institut maritime du Québec, May, 2013, Carrières féminines dans l’industrie maritime : attrait, accès et rétention [Careers for women in the maritime industry: attraction, access and retention]. Comité sectoriel de l’industrie maritime, www.csmoim.qc.ca