Lena Barofke steers a course from carpentry to captaincy on Königssee

After facing reluctance from employers to hire women as carpenters, Lena Barofke found a career at sea: she now captains boats on Lake Königssee in Bavaria. BR reports that she has held the role for nearly 10 years.

Barofke grew up near Düsseldorf and moved to Bavaria to train at a vocational school for wood carving and carpentry in Berchtesgaden. She initially found the local dialect difficult to understand, but grew accustomed to life in the region and decided to stay after completing her training.

Finding work as a carpenter proved difficult. Barofke said some small businesses told her they would rather buy another machine than hire a woman. She recalled employers arguing that women might take time off for pregnancy or could not lift as much as men.

When the Königssee boat service was looking for seasonal staff, Barofke took a job as a dock attendant, hoping to work in its boatyard, where carpentry was also needed. Within weeks, she was allowed to obtain a boat licence, becoming the second woman to do so on the lake.

She is now a permanent employee, steering boats in summer and working as a carpenter in the boatyard during winter. On a typical trip, two captains share duties: one steers while the other acts as a guide. Barofke says guiding guests felt daunting at first, but has become routine.

Her colleagues have accepted her, she said, as have most passengers. Some guests, however, make critical remarks when she does not dock perfectly, including comments suggesting a woman cannot handle the boat. Barofke says she is not put off by them and wants to keep showing visitors the place she now calls home.

In the past, guests were rowed across the lake, a physically demanding job that was done only by men. Barofke says modern boats are motorised and steering one is no harder than driving a car.