Me and Skipper Gene

Me and Skipper Gene

It feels like yesterday that I was on my post-college adventure; that chapter of my life is responsible for so much of what I’m doing today.

I found myself on the Alaskan Marine Highway, heading north from Bellingham to Ketchikan, AK, with just a "deck only" ticket—no cabin, no shower, and certainly no bed. My mission: get a job on a commercial fishing vessel.

So, I did! I landed a job on board the F/V Cape St. Elias with Captain, Skipper Gene. I was the only woman on board, ready to take on the challenge, and in for a wild ride.

Three weeks into the job, there was a personnel issue. Some infighting with the crew lead Skipper Gene to release the ship’s cook to another role, leaving us with no head chef.

Skipper Gene looked at me and asked “can you cook?” My answer was a shaky “yes” and in retrospect, I don’t love the idea that he looked to me, the only woman on board, to run the galley. But, that’s what happened and I’m so glad it did.

Cooking en masse and at sea is not easy. Skipper Gene happened to be a gourmet cook and I was so grateful that he invited me to the wheelhouse for pre-meal time cooking tips. Three meals a day for the (already hot-headed) crew, while on rough seas, was a tall order.

Our cooking conversations soon expanded to operations and life lessons. He quickly became a guardian over me, showing me tricks of the trade. His wisdom helped me stay sharp and pull my own weight to gain respect as the only greenhorn on board.

I started carrying a pen and paper to capture every nugget of wisdom he shared with me. From how to gut and filet a king salmon to understanding celestial navigation, to hauling in lines and fending off seals, to tying up along a steel hulled vessel during a storm, Skipper Gene was my professor and I was absorbing like a sponge.

Listening and learning has always been my way: I absorb from everyone around me, wherever I am. Some call it a superpower: the ability to welcome others to share their stories so I can listen closely. I believe it’s constant curiosity that teaches me the most and fuels the engine of my mission with LUWI.

The journey to entrepreneurship is about seizing every opportunity to learn, grow, and build. It’s about being ready with a pen in hand, or Evernote on my phone, to capture wisdom that will turn into gold down the road and knowing that our best selves are often an amalgamation of the people we meet.

“Alaskan fishing rig to contraceptive start-up” is probably not what Skipper Gene envisioned for me – it’s not what I envisioned either! But here I am. I’m captain of my own rig: one that’s out at sea (on a blue ocean) to bring accessible, OTC next-gen contraceptive health care to the world. And even though we said goodbye many years ago, I often think of Skipper Gene as I navigate from the LUWI wheelhouse.

— Lisa