Finding Each Other Offshore: Why One Mariner Built a Forum for Connection

Time offshore can be isolating. Long hitches, rotating crews, and limited communication with people back home are part of the job. Especially for those in the queer community, the maritime industry can often feel isolating and alone. But for some mariners, that isolation goes beyond the schedule.

Sophie Scopazzi has spent time offshore feeling like she was the only one in the room. Not as a professional, but as a person. Like many working at sea, she doesn’t always know who else shares her experience, or where to find them. It’s practically a given for her to be the only woman, let alone queer person onboard.

“I know we must be out here somewhere,” she said. “On ships, tugs, ferries, dredges, OSVs, research vessels, cruise ships, you name it. But I personally know very few.”

That gap has stayed with her, especially on longer hitches.

So she built something to close it.

Sophie created the Transailors Forum, an online space for gender-diverse mariners to connect with one another, no matter where they’re sailing.

The idea is straightforward. A place where folks of all types can share what they’re dealing with offshore, ask questions, trade advice, or just talk with someone who understands the work.

Users can participate anonymously if they choose. That flexibility matters in an industry where not everyone is in the same position when it comes to being open about their personal lives at work.

There’s also a clear boundary on privacy; only one administrator, Sophie, manages the forum.

This didn’t come from a company initiative or a formal program. It came from one mariner trying to solve a problem she’s experienced herself.

The longer Sophie spends offshore, the more she feels the distance, not just from home, but from people who understand her experience.

Her goal is simple: make it easier for mariners who are queer, trans, gay, lesbian – you name your color of the rainbow – to find each other.

Not just across companies, but across oceans, time zones, and vessel types.

At Women Offshore, we hear often about the importance of connection offshore, whether it’s mentorship, peer support, or simply knowing someone else has been through the same thing.

Careers at sea are demanding. Retention, safety, and long-term success all tie back to whether people feel supported in the work they’re doing.

Spaces like this don’t replace what happens onboard. But they can fill a gap that many mariners – especially queer mariners – quietly carry.

If you’re in the maritime industry and this resonates, you can explore the forum here:
https://transailors.flarum.cloud

And if you know someone who might benefit from having a place like this, pass it along.

Sometimes the hardest part offshore isn’t the work. It’s feeling isolated and alone not knowing who else is out there.