ST. MICHAELS, Md:
Arriving at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Van Lennep Auditorium last September for the opening celebration of Her Helm: Portraits of Women on the Chesapeake, Kate Dumhart wasn’t merely excited to see her photo featured on the wall.
The captain of the schooner Sultana was also thrilled to finally meet the other women whose stories are told through Kristin Rutkowski’s Bay-spanning photo project that inspired CBMM’s special exhibition.
Quickly, Dumhart realized she wasn’t alone.
“I felt like the biggest fangirl for everybody else’s experiences,” Dumhart remembered. “It was very disorienting that other people showed up feeling the same way about me.
“What Kristin has done is build a community of women who want to celebrate each other’s successes.”
With Her Helm, Rutkowski sought to challenge gendered stereotypes by highlighting women who captain vessels on the Bay.
The portrait photographer spent two years traveling the region to feature more than 50 women who make their own way on the water. The result is a collection of photos and stories covering all corners of the Bay, types of vessels, and paths to taking the wheel.
Rutkowski has featured these women – recreational power boaters and sailors, charter boat and tug captains, maritime and environmental educators, delivery boat and ferry operators, and more – on her website, social media, and a book published last year. In addition, a selection of them is featured on the walls of Van Lennep Auditorium as part of CBMM’s special exhibition that runs through this summer and in a parallel oral history project led by local writer Jennifer Shea.
For captains like Sarah Lawrence of Tow Jamm Marine and Chesapeake Boating Academy, it’s been invaluable to not just learn these stories but also make connections, and in some cases, friendships with women facing similar challenges and opportunities at the helm on the Bay.
Lawrence will be among a handful of captains coming together to share their unique background and experiences on an upcoming CBMM panel, moderated by Director of Curatorial Affairs & Exhibitions Jen Dolde, on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 5:30pm.
The suggested ticket price is $8 per participant, with both in-person and virtual options available at cbmm.org/HerHelmPanel. The exhibition, event, and oral histories are funded through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council.
“There are so many women involved that we can learn from, draw connections to, and network with,” Lawrence said. “It’s really cool when we can get together to connect those dots and see what other people are doing that’s working, what’s not working, and to be able to prop each other up without judgement or ego.”
Rutkowski largely grew the project through word of mouth, allowing for the network to expand in interesting ways.
Dumhart, for instance, met the photographer late in the project through her friend Erica Baugh, who is Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Upstream Alliance and a licensed 50-ton boat captain.
Gerrie McCottry connected with Rutkowski through friends in the Seafarers Yacht Club of Annapolis and jumped at the chance to be a part of the project.
Years ago, McCottry became comfortable on the water, learning alongside her now-husband off Columbia Beach on the Bay’s western shore in a 14-foot aluminum boat purchased from the Sears-Roebuck catalog. Today, she’s captain of a 37-foot Carver Aft Cabin named Chillin’ and always eager for the next adventure.
Along the way, McCottry has relished the opportunity to be a resource for other women, especially empowering those interested in making the leap to get out on the water for the first time. She has taught her daughters and grandchildren to drive and counseled many others through the yacht club.
“It’s a network that I believe will continue to grow,” said McCottry, who posed for Rutkowski’s camera at Annapolis’ Oyster Harbor in October 2022. “I always say that it gives you a great sense of confidence to be on a boat and know that you know how it works.”
Lawrence grew up on the water before turning her passion and skills into a career. Her latest project, Chesapeake Boating Academy, centers on teaching the next generation to be safe and comfortable at the helm. She’s offered training out of Kent Narrows for the past three years, and she recently expanded operations across the Bay with a new location in Annapolis.
Lawrence has been grateful to have Rutkowski to share her story and connect her with others who can help spread the word and provide insight as her business grows.
“Kristin’s just been phenomenal with the way she selflessly highlights so much talent across the Bay,” Lawrence said. “I don’t think women, especially in the maritime industry, promote themselves as much as they should, so to have another woman helping you share your voice is a powerful thing.”
Rutkowski has brought segments of the group together several times over the past year as she’s promoted the Her Helm project and launched the book. The biggest gathering of captains was at CBMM’s exhibition opening last fall when she delivered a talk about her work with a dozen or so captains in the audience.
The Her Helm community thrives online, too. Rutkowski frequently shares social media posts from the captains, and they are quick to interact with each other in the comments.
When Dumhart posts about a job opening on Sultana, she can count on a group of Her Helm captains to share the posting and expand its reach across the Bay and beyond.
That support is special to Dumhart, who discovered her maritime calling as an adult and took a non-traditional path to her 100-ton captain’s license and career aboard the education-focused tall ship. As she prepares for a return to CBMM to share her story during the Her Helm panel, she’s proud to be part of what Rutkowski has created and eager to do her part to keep growing those connections.
“In this line of work, it is rare to work with other women,” Dumhart said. “The visibility of everybody else’s success isn’t always there. To have a way to see what other people are doing and actually talk to them about those experiences is a really excellent benefit of what Kristin has created.”
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Captains featured in CBMM’s Her Helm special exhibition gathered in the Van Lennep Auditorium last September for photographer Kristin Rutkowski’s opening talk. (Photo by Sharon Thorpe)
