By
Rebecca Gibson |
Windstar Cruises has named 39-year-old British citizen Belinda Bennett as its first female and first black captain.
Bennett, who originally hails from British Overseas Territory St. Helena, is also understood to be the world’s first black cruise ship captain. Starting as a deck cadet on RMS St. Helena at the age of 17, Bennett served as both a third officer and second officer until she left nine years later to become a chief officer on private charter yacht SS Delphine and onboard ferries for the UK’s Isle of Man Steam Packet company. She joined Windstar Cruises as second officer at the Port of Monaco in September 2005 and has worked as a chief officer on various of the line’s ships since then.
“We are thrilled to have appointed Belinda as Windstar’s first-ever female captain and we understand may be the cruise industry’s first-ever black captain,” said Hans Birkholz, Windstar Cruises’ CEO. “Belinda’s leadership qualities and hard work have made her an asset to our team and invaluable to her colleagues and crew. She has earned her spot at the helm and I’m excited to see her in action, guiding the crew and our guests on Wind Star through some of the world’s most incredible destinations for years to come.”
In her new role, Bennett is responsible for directing the operations and activities of officers and crew onboard the 148-passenger Wind Star. Bennett’s took the helm of the 5,307gt vessel for its 30 January 2016 Caribbean sailing and will soon lead the ship on a transatlantic repositioning cruise to Europe where it will enter a two-week drydock. Following Wind Star’s return to service on 16 April, Bennett will take the ship on an eight-day ‘Treasures of Southern Spain & Morocco’ voyage, followed by a six-day ‘Islands of the West Med’ cruise and a seven-day ‘Enchanting Greece & Amalfi Coast’ itinerary. This summer, Wind Star will sail 24 consecutive seven-day ‘Greek Isles & Turkish Delights’ cruises between Athens, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey.
“Having been with Windstar for the past 11 years, I couldn’t be more honoured to serve as captain with such a respected and hard-working team,” said Bennett. “Earning this title has been a long and exciting professional journey and I’m ready to lead our guests through a safe and one-of-a-kind adventure around the world. My priority as captain is to see that my guests and crew are safe and that guests are having an enjoyable, memorable time onboard our yacht and that our crew provides the best service to our guests.”