Molly Kool, who in the 1930s and ’40s plied the lashing waters of the Bay of Fundy as the first woman in North America to be a licensed ship’s captain, died on Wednesday at her home in Bangor, Maine, two days after her 93rd birthday.

Molly Kool in 1939. She qualified as a captain at age 23.

The death was confirmed by Ken Kelly, a longtime friend.

A native of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, Ms. Kool was known familiarly throughout her life as Captain Molly. She qualified as a captain at age 23, and she spent the next five years in command of the Jean K, her father’s 70-foot engine- and sail-driven scow. In 2006, she was officially recognized by the Canadian government as the first woman to hold captain’s papers.

Hauling cargo up and down the Bay of Fundy and as far afield as Boston, Ms. Kool faced rain and fog, fire and ice, and the violent tides for which the bay is known. She also earned the disbelief, disdain and, eventually, respect of her rough-hewn male colleagues.

[Continued at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/world/americas/03kool.html]