Women of the Seven Seas aim to connect women from all aspects of maritime life
to make the history and present of women working on and with the seas more visible. Today, women are sailing the seas in greater numbers than ever before - as part of the service crews on cruise ships or as captains rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean. Women are chief officers, managers in ports, artists and activists exploring hydrarchy as an alternative way of living, trying to reclaim ports as public spaces or fighting for endangered maritime eco-systems. This is new. The history of the seas is almost exclusively a history of men: Men have sailed the seas, worked in sea trade, went to war. Seamen and fishermen, captains and officers, they have predominantly been male. Women on sea stand out - like the pirates Anne Bonny or the sailing champion Tracey Edwards and her Maiden team – or they are overlooked. On the other hand, the sea itself has often been described as female, to be mastered and tamed by men. The same goes for many mythological creatures of the sea, such as mermaids or sirens. While women have fought with considerable success for gender equality on land, the maritime world seems far behind. Only recently, things have started to change.