Book Description

Woman's View from a Porthole is the true story of a woman's rise to Chief Steward on worldwide commercial fishing vessels, a feat seldom achieved by anyone, much less a woman. Author Sindi Giancoli spent thirty-five years as a Chief Steward for American Seafoods Company and other commercial fishing companies in Alaska and the Bering Sea. She survived high seas, gale-force winds, seasickness, illnesses, death of crewmates, stress, homesickness, bunking together, broken toilets, power outages, hauling fish, food fights, discrimination, sexism, and getting along with others despite wildly diverse backgrounds - all this while being tossed around on the high seas cooking. Through multiple trials, joys, sorrows, and struggles, she went from being a scared, timid young woman to becoming a woman of achievement, confidence, and strength in an industry that was, and to a certain extent still is, primarily male-dominated. She had to build a strong backbone to win the respect of her male counterparts while leading them. She succeeded in doing this and became part of what would be termed years later as "a very special generation of women" who claimed ownership of their work at sea. This story is a unique look into a world most people will never see. Women's View from a Porthole is a true account of the author's adventures and a riveting story of survival. Packed with full-color photographs of the author's time at sea, with a foreword from Sigurd Jonny "Sig" Hansen, captain of the fishing vessel Northwestern, that has been featured in the documentary television series "Deadliest Catch," this book is a page-turner.