“I grew up on a farm and my Dad never stopped his girls from doing anything our brother did — we all got our hands dirty just the same. I guess that was the early beginnings of me deciding I could do anything and if anyone told me I couldn't, or said ‘but that's a man's job', I turned around and told them ‘watch me'.”
The special voyage will take place on March 8 next year, on International Women's Day.
The ship will be captained by the world's first female cruise ship captain Kate McCue, something Cassie said she was very exited about.
“The women I am working with on the cruise have more experience under their belts than me and I am looking forward to learning from them. Captain Kate McCue is a bit of a rockstar in the shipping world and I am so excited to meet her in person.
“It will also be the first time that I am not the only female in the deck and engine team and that makes me a little nervous because I am not used to female dynamics. It will be quite the learning curve for me, but hopefully the adventure of a life time also.
“This is a huge step forward, not just for the shipping industry but for professional women in general. This is barrier-breaking.
“The surprising thing is there are actually a lot of very talented female seafarers out there. We often think there are not that many (only two percent of the industry on a whole) but when I joined She of the Sea I discovered just how many others there are out there. It's incredible and really encouraging to see.
Celebrity had 22 percent female representation for its bridge officers and aimed to increase that to 50 percent in coming years. The company's president and chief executive Lisa Lutoff-Perlo is also a woman.
“It is a privilege to be part of such a forward -thinking company who strongly support equal opportunities,” Cassie said.
“There should not be such a thing as a ‘male-dominated' industry. We are trying to make a change for equal rights and equal opportunities and it is my hope this phrase won't exist in future.”
The voyage will be the highlight of a career path that began as a 17-year-old.
“At the beginning of Year 13, I was part of voyage 444 on the Spirit of New Zealand. I actually had my seventeenth birthday on board.
“This trip changed my life. I knew by the end of the ten days I wanted to go to sea and I wanted to be a cadet on the Spirit of New Zealand.
“Sadly, the cadetship never came to fruition. However, I was a finalist in selection two years running.
“The Senior Master at the time told me if I was seriously passionate about going to sea then I should go to the New Zealand Maritime School once I graduated from my degree in architecture and should undertake a Second Mates Foreign going. So I did.
“I studied for three and a half years at the Maritime School with 18 months of in-class theory and 12 months of practical, on-board experience.
“I learned early on that I am a kinaesthetic learner (learning by doing) and I always struggled with study and exams so I was right in my element on-board a sailing ship where you are shown once and then have to do it yourself. So it only made sense I got into a hands-on trade-based training . . . and where better to be than at sea.
“My asthma and allergies completely disappear at sea — the air is fresh and the sunrises and sunsets are to die for.”
Over the years she worked for both Blue Bridge and Interislander, Golden Bay Cement, Silver Seas cruises, Norwegian Cruise lines, and Holcim Cement before joining Celebrity Cruises.
“I have spent the last year volunteering aboard harbour tugs in Timaru and a tug and barge operation in Lyttleton, while studying for a SRL (Skipper Restricted Limits) licence. I passed my exam just two weeks ago and my favourite part of my voluntary experience was learning the engineering involved in maintaining small vessels. Handling the tugs under the skipper's supervision is pretty awesome too though.”
Alongside the travel perks, there's a host of other upsides to working on the sea, she says.
“I have worked in the super yacht industry, on charter yachts in a summer camp programme and there is always fast ferries, water taxis, charter boats, fishing, or research vessels as well — just so many options.
“I have had my fair share of hard times and challenges. There are times people expected me to give up and a couple of times I even questioned myself about whether this was the right path for me . . . but I stuck it out.
“It has taken five years for me to make it and to get my first full-time job in my profession but I did it. You have to ride the wave and take the highs with the lows.
“I cannot see myself doing anything else and the thought of not doing what I love, not being at sea terrifies me.
“I don't know what the future holds but for now, I am focused on the present and this amazing experience I get to be a part of.”
