ʻAunofo Havea Funaki
Aunofo Havea Funaki is the first Tongan woman to become a licensed sea captain. The owner of a business that takes tourists to "swim with the whales", she has captained a traditional Polynesian canoe that sailed from the Pacific islands to the USA. Early life Aunofo Havea Funaki was born in Tu'anuku on the island of Vavau in the Kingdom of Tonga. She had five brothers and three sisters. Career Having been working as a weaver, at age 25, Funaki was given a job of cleaning yachts, something that no other women did. From this she graduated to being a cook on a tourist yacht and was taught how to sail by its owners. Her decision to try to become a captain came about when she realised that she already knew more than a captain she was sailing with as a cook. In 2000, she was the only woman selected, together with 23 men, to take a maritime course in Tonga led by the Royal New Zealand Coast Guard. She finished top of her class. This entitled her to a daytime skipper licence, and she su ...
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