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Jessica Ryals comes to Cal Maritime with superb credentials and some serious geography. She grew up in North Texas, attended the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York State where she graduated with a 3rd Mate鈥檚 License, and went on to Officer Candidate School at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, where she received her commission. Since then, she鈥檚 lived in Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee, while working a rotational schedule on deepwater drillships in the Gulf of Mexico and around the world and performing ship and facility inspections with the USCG. During her time working offshore, Ryals has upgraded her license from 3rd Mate to Unlimited Master, and gone back to school for her Master鈥檚 degree in International Transportation Management at SUNY Maritime. In January of this year, she and her husband Kent, along with their dog and cat, moved across the country and settled in Crockett, just across the Carquinez Bridge from Cal Maritime. She鈥檚 now the Chief Mate on the TS Golden Bear, and will soon head off on its two summer training cruises. 

You鈥檝e been on the job for a few months now. How has your start been, and how has the pandemic affected it? 

It鈥檚 been great but challenging at the same time. This was a huge career transition for me, shifting gears from the offshore oilfield to a ship like the Golden Bear.  Joining a new organization amid a global pandemic is a special kind of challenge, with the cadets starting the semester late and with so many colleagues working remotely. Even so, I have felt so welcomed to the Cal Maritime campus by everyone I鈥檝e worked with thus far. I enjoy the hands-on aspect of my position, and I jumped in at a very busy time for the Golden Bear, right as we begin ramping up for summer sea training, and all the boxes that need to be checked prior to that happening successfully.

What motivated you to enter this business? There must be plenty of people who don鈥檛 follow through on a childhood dream of becoming a ship captain? 

I actually didn鈥檛 -- I wanted to be an airplane captain, like my Dad. I knew I wanted to attend a service academy, and I chose the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy for the options it offers graduates: a license as a 3rd Mate or 3rd Assistant Engineer, and a commission into any branch of the military on active duty or reserve. During my time at school, I ended up deciding that I wanted to sail for my career rather than fly, and I chose to enter the industry after graduation and went to work on deepwater drillships in the Gulf of Mexico. I had some exciting experiences during that time, I was part of a crew that brought a drillship from the Black Sea to the Gulf of Mexico, and I was a plankowner (an original crew member) of my last ship, which I helped to navigate from South Korea to the Gulf of Mexico.  

Now though, I do have a dream of becoming a ship captain. I have the license for it, I鈥檓 just building the experience to 鈥渢ake the conn鈥� someday. 

Do you have to explain to a lot of people exactly what a 鈥渃hief mate鈥� does? 

I sure do! I鈥檓 from land-locked Dallas, Texas, where people don鈥檛 have the exposure to ships and the maritime industry the way they do around here. So, I often rely on the airline industry, and point out how an airplane has a Captain and a First Officer, and that a ship operates much the same way, I鈥檓 the First Officer. 

The First Officer, or Chief Mate, is second in command of a ship underway, and is traditionally responsible for cargo operations, ship鈥檚 stability, and for being the on-scene commander in a firefighting or lifesaving emergency. The Mate takes charge of the bow during mooring and anchoring operations and is responsible for all the maintenance and upkeep of the ship鈥檚 decks equipment, like lifeboats and firefighting equipment.  

It鈥檚 a very hands-on position, and I love the role here at Cal Maritime because I get to do all those things, plus interacting with the cadets on a day-to-day basis.  

How important is if for you to model this career for women? 

I consider modeling this career for women to be one of the most important things I do. Representation matters, and for young women entering this industry, being able to look up the chain of command and see women at the top is strong encouragement for staying in what can be a challenging career path. On my first ship as a cadet, the Chief Mate was a woman who had 鈥渉awsepiped鈥� her way up, and she inspired me to think that I could hold that job someday myself. Now I consider it part of my role to mentor women entering the maritime industry and be part of closing the gender gap.  

Are you excited about training cruise this summer? 

I really am! It鈥檚 going to be different than sea training in the past, but I plan to go on both training cruises, and I am absolutely looking forward to it. There鈥檚 nothing like being underway on a ship, where it鈥檚 just sea and sky as far as the eye can see. I'm looking forward to working with the cadets and teaching them what I know. I鈥檓 also looking forward to the chance to disconnect, turn off my cell phone, and catch up on reading, maybe learning how to knit, and enjoying the awesome new gym on the ship! 

What鈥檚 your impression of Cal Maritime cadets so far? 

So many people I have met on campus tell me they鈥檝e worked here for 10, 20, 30 years, and that the cadets are the reason they have stayed. In my couple months here so far, I can absolutely understand that thinking. The cadets have been great to engage with, and I feel like I will be a better mariner and person for my interactions with them. My dad always said that if you learn something well enough to teach it, then you鈥檝e mastered the subject. Answering the cadet鈥檚 questions keeps my mind working, and I love seeing them have a passion for the ship and for learning everything they can about the maritime industry.