Jen Kneale - on saving lives at sea and kayaking with sharks

Jen Kneale has an affinity with the sea that stems from a lifetime spent on the ocean. It’s no exaggeration to say that a love of the sea runs in her veins: like her father and grandfather before her she is now a coxswain - or captain - of the lifeboat on the Isle of Man. Jen was the first female coxswain in the island - the original home of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution - and only the 4th nationwide. 

Jen is also a successful businesswoman, having set up her own sailing school at the age of 25, a coach and an international sailor, representing Great Britain in the Laser class. She runs an annual This Girl Can sailing weekend aimed at getting women and girls to try sailing, and is passionate about continuing to increase opportunities across the lifeboats and beyond. 

In 2017, on her second crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, Jen taught herself celestial navigation, the art and science of navigating via the sun, the moon and the stars, as they did in the days of Captain Cook and Christopher Columbus. She is certainly a woman of many talents…

Where to find Jen and the RNLI:

Jen's website - http://www.7thwave-iom.com/activities-courses/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/7thwaveiom/ 

RNLI website - https://rnli.org 

RNLI Twitter - https://twitter.com/RNLI  

RNLI YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/officialrnli 

RNLI Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rnli/ 

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