Pilot boat operators need a steady hand

摘要

The challenges faced by boat operators for the San Francisco Bar Pilots are formidable. They need to come alongside ships in seas that routinely reach 20 feet and on occasion considerably more. But then imagine having 60 bosses, all with advanced master's tickets, who come on board with great regularity.The San Francisco Bar Pilots have two station boats that serve on a four-day rotation on a station 11.1 miles off the Golden Gate Bridge. On May 10, the station boat California was ready to trade places with her sister ship, San Francisco.