Ferrytale
Stories are now breaking about Brittany Catanzaro, the ferry captain who steered her boat in to help retrieve passengers from Hudson River downed US Airways flight 1549. At nineteen, Brittany is not only the youngest, but is also the first female ferry captain on the NY Waterways.
Obviously, this is quite a feat! You know what stuck out for me in her biography? She acknowledges that her age and gender make her unique among her peers, but she praises the older men in her business as having helped train her.
"Any guff from fellow captains?" She is asked. Her answer? "A lot of the older guys trained me. They’ve known me since I was little, because I’ve been around. Our boat was at the old Jamestown, which is where the Port Imperial Marina is now."
And when asked about how her passengers react, she says, "There are people who say, 'Oh, my God, there’s a girl driving. Oh, my God, that’s so good!'"
Isn't that nice to read? A young woman in a profession she loves, doing work that makes her happy, surrounded by people who seem to be happy for her, and working along with her. I like that.
