Mariah Kopec-Belliveau has a SEAriously cool job: she’s the second mate on the STV Unicorn, a tall ship sailing into Toronto for the Redpath Waterfront Festival from June 20th-23rd. (The festival spans Lower Sherbourne St. to Lower Spadina Ave., but if you’re looking for the Unicorn, just head towards the water and keep an eye out for the mast!) The STV Unicorn is the only tall ship with an all-female crew, and they have programs to encourage teenage girls and women to get involved with sailing. We waited until the crew found a communication-friendly patch of water and spoke with Kopec-Belliveau about what it’s like to earn a living on the high seas.

SDTC: How did you end up sailing tall ships for a living?

Mariah Kopec-Belliveau: I sailed for the first time when I was 15, on a 33ft wooden boat on the Maine Coast. After five weeks of navigating around islands and sailing to new places I was hooked. I joined my high school’s sailing team the next year, racing 15ft boats. We practiced at Maine Maritime Academy, so when it came time to apply to colleges I was familiar with MMA. They have a unique program called Vessel Operations and Technology, which gives students a 1600ton license and bachelor’s degree after four years of study.  I got to learn all about seamanship, navigation, and engineering during the school year, and then sail on ship and gain practical knowledge and experience during the summer. I have been out of school for a year and have the skills to work almost anywhere in the maritime industry, but sailing tall ships is what I really love to do.

SDTC: What’s the best thing about your workday, and the worst thing?

MKP: The favorite thing my workday is navigating; finding the best course based on wind and current.  I also love a good downwind sail on a sunny day. The worst part for me is probably waking up for night watch, it is really hard to get out of a warm bunk and go up on deck in the cold. That feeling usually only lasts through my first cup of coffee, and then I can appreciate the stars and inherent coolness of sailing at night.

SDTC: What’s one thing sailing has taught you about life?

MKP: Sailing has definitely taught me that sometimes you need to depend on other people and work together as a team to complete tasks, whether its two people furling a sail, or the whole crew tacking the ship.

SDTC: What’s on your bucket list?

MKP: I really want to sail to the South Pacific, or the Mediterranean (I’ve been once, and I really loved it). I want to learn how to weld, own my own sailboat, and also have a farm with goats and grow my own food, someday.

SDTC: Can you break down what a regular work day on the ship looks like? 

MKP: Right now we are on a six on/six off watch schedule, so I get a wake up at 0530, and am on watch at 0600. While on watch, I am in charge of the deckhands and trainees on my watch, who are on the helm and forward lookout, and navigating the ship. We also do hourly bilges and engine room checks. We get off watch at 1200, eat lunch, clean the galley, and then get a five hour nap. We get woken up again at 1715, eat dinner, and then we are on watch again from 1800-0000. Typically the watches are made up of a mate, two deckhands, and two or three trainees.

SDTC: What advice would you give to young women interested in sailing?

MKP: Go for it! Find a boat and a program that sounds interesting to you (sailtraining.org is a great resource) and then work hard and learn all you can once you are on board. Here on Unicorn we do excellent weeklong programs for teenage girls that focus on leadership and confidence building. If you are serious about sailing as a career, take a look at Maine Maritime Academy.  I might be a little biased, but I think it has the best program for aspiring tall ship sailors. Keep working your way up, and eventually someone will start paying you to sail!