Lundy’s first female captain honoured with prestigious Merchant Navy Medal

A North Devon mariner who became Lundy’s first-ever female captain and is now second in command on a 90,000 tonne cruise ship has been awarded the Merchant Navy Medal.

Martel Fursdon, who was born in North Devon and still lives in Appledore, has today (Thursday, September 3) received one of the highest maritime honours for her work to drive up safety standards and encourage more women to enter the industry.

She has served with Cunard UK for four years, following a rising career that began when she went to work on the MS Oldenburg aged 18, eventually qualifying as captain to skipper the Lundy Company’s passenger ferry and supply ship for Lundy Island.

Captain Fursdon is currently the staff captain and second in command on board Cunard’s 90,000 tonne Queen Victoria cruise ship and has held the post for two years. The luxurious vessel regularly cruises Europe, makes the transatlantic crossing and embarks on full cruises around the world.

Reacting to receiving the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service, she said: “I'm incredibly touched, honoured and still somewhat in disbelief to be awarded the Merchant Navy Medal. It has always stood for service, dedication and commitment, often carried out quietly and away from the public eye, so to receive this recognition is humbling.

“As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry, this means even more to me. I hope it shows that hard work and determination can open doors once thought closed and if it inspires even one young woman to believe she belongs in this industry, I'll be incredibly proud.”

The award citation said she built a mentoring network for women rising through the ranks and has personally mentored a number of female officers.

Martel has also played a pivotal role when it comes to safety, including through rewriting safety guidance across 15 ships and it said during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, she supported mass repatriation efforts for stranded seafarers.

Unusually, her family had no particular ties to the sea – Martel’s dad was a local builder and her mum a stay at home mum and child minder during her time growing up in Holsworthy.

She went to school at Stella Maris in Bideford and later, after the schools merged, Grenville College.

Martel may spend many weeks at sea but she never left North Devon and she and her partner live in Appledore with their daughters Scarlett, aged 12 and Juniper, aged 10.

She told the Gazette: “I started on Oldenburg when I finished school at 18 after my A-levels. I did have a place at uni to study marine biology at Scarborough, but didn’t really feel that this was the right route for me so I deferred my place and sailed for a second summer on the ferry.

“It was the team onboard that suggested I did my cadetship and join the merchant navy. After qualifying I would fill in whenever was needed over the years, until the chance came to fill in as captain.

“I’m the only one in my family to go to sea, so it was a bit of a surprise to everyone when I decided that was the path.

“Despite growing up near the coast, I had never really had much to do with the sea; I didn’t sail (apart from a few lessons on Tamar Lakes during my A-levels).”

Reflecting on her time with the Lund y Company, she said: “I loved working there – it is such a unique corner of shipping and such an important part of life on the island.

“My early days on the ferry lit an interest in me that has sustained a 28 year, so far, career – and I say the same thing now, as I learned on Oldenburg – absolutely every day is different. You may be sailing between two points but anything can and often will happen!”

After deciding to go for her cadetship, Martel was taken on by the SSTG (Ship Safe Training Group) and sponsored by what was then ARC Marine, a dredging company, that later became Hanson Aggregates.

Once qualified, she took a second officer’s role at ARC and remained there for a few months, before deciding to spread her wings, going on to agency work which led to a sailing ship – the Stavros S Niarchos and various other vessels. Then she obtained a job as fourth officer with Holland America Line – she worked there for 20 years, rising through the ranks to staff captain.

Bizarrely, her first ship as a cadet was built at Appledore shipyard and the Stavros S Niarchos was partly constructed there too.

Martel’s career goal is to command a Cunard ship but she said when she began her career, she hadn’t really thought much about the destination.

She said: “The Oldenburg time had inspired me and during my time on the dredgers I worked with a chief mate I will never forget and he told me that to be a good chief mate, you needed experience and to try every ship type.

“I took him at his word and had a list of types of ship to try and that’s where the cruise ship jump came in, it was another ship type to add to the list! I don’t think I meant to stay there so long but I enjoyed it and progressed initially quite quickly so figured it was worth sticking around.

“As I said, every day is different. You can set out in the morning with a plan and sometimes get to the end of the day having achieved none of the things intended. But tomorrow is another day!

“It’s challenging and dynamic and sometimes stressful, but there are a lot of plus points and the views are always excellent.”

Martel Fursdon is one of 11 seafarers nationally named as recipients of the Merchant Navy Medal today.

She said she felt “completely honoured” to receive it, adding: “I’ve always just got on with my job and never really felt that I was going above and beyond or out of my way, but to be recognised for it is very humbling.

“It hasn’t always been a smooth path but it is certainly possible and a rewarding career, so if I can inspire or make at least one person’s time at sea a bit better then I will be happy.

“Representation is important and whilst I wouldn’t consider myself a self-promoter sometimes it needs to be done so others can see it is possible!”