There once was a time when it was thought women on board a ship was a bad idea.

A ship is female. The sea is female, at least in Latin languages. There is already a natural competition from the views these languages are based on.

In Germanic languages, it is neutral or male, like the moon.

At the very least it depends on the underlying philosophy what happens. I only point to the fact that the greatest shipbuilders in history are not found speaking the sounds that became Latin.