About me
Moving to Alaska for adventure, Mary Jacobs’s job—and pay—at the cannery fails to excite. When she begins working on a fishing vessel, she is hooked. But in this man’s world, if women get hired, they usually cook, clean, and do unimportant jobs. Mary aspires for more. Much more.Determined to command her own fishing boat, despite rejection and setbacks, Mary works tirelessly, expands her knowledge and skills, and advances toward ownership of a wooden Karluk dory, fishing in gorgeous bays surrounded by wildlife, while raising a family.She Takes the Helm captures the adventures, dangers, and thrills of fishing in Alaska. Although men still dominate in that world, Mary Jacobs’s life shows how women can break barriers, overcome obstacles, and realize their dreams.
In Praise of She Takes the Helm:“Our wake neatly unzipped a blue silk gown behind us.” So begins Mary Jacobs’s dream of fishing for a living on the ocean. From deckhand to experienced skipper of the first all-woman crew seining out of Kodiak, her memoir is a fantastic read. A true sea adventure story. You won’t want to put it down.—Patrick Dixon, author of Waiting to Deliver and Mending Holes
