Even after 3 decades at sea, he still marvels at the job
Even after 33 years as a San Francisco Bar Pilot, President Capt. John Carlier is still struck by the beauty of the sun rising over the City as he navigates ships under the Golden Gate Bridge and into the San Francisco Bay. And this veteran mariner has truly seen it all—from ever-increasing ship sizes, bustling port traffic, and a global pandemic, every job is thrilling. And almost all of these jobs begin by scaling a ladder up the side of a megaship, out in the open ocean, in every condition imaginable.
Becoming a Bar Pilot was almost inevitable for Capt. Carlier. His parents met at sea – his father an officer on a passenger ship and his mother working onboard as a nurse – and he grew up on the San Francisco Bay, spending a lot of time on tugboats captained by his father. He eventually attended the California Maritime Academy to pursue his own career in maritime, going on to become one of the youngest Bar Pilots at the age of 28.
And the work, as well as the maritime industry as a whole, has certainly changed during his tenure as a Pilot, with ships growing exponentially in size, at times longer than the Salesforce Tower is tall. In addition to a rigorous application and training process, the Bar Pilots require regular continuing education due to the nature of the job as well as the ever-changing industry. During simulator training sessions at California Maritime Academy, Capt. Carlier says he has impressed even veteran instructors with his ability to maneuver ships safely in the most difficult of scenarios—having already faced these challenging situations on the job.
As a Bar Pilot, Capt. Carlier has met ship captains from all over the world, and he is at a point in his career where he is recognized and respected for his piloting in the San Francisco Bay. He takes pride in the organization’s critical role in protecting the environment and supporting the economy. Though the San Francisco Bar Pilots are vital to California’s infrastructure, Capt. Carlier is still surprised by how few Bay Area locals understand what the Bar Pilots do—or that there are professionals just like the Bar Pilots in every single port in the world.
Capt. Carlier recalls the high-pressure moments throughout his career during which he has relied on his experience, expert knowledge of the Bay, local tides, currents, and the San Francisco Bay’s infamous sand bar to navigate ships safely to port. The President says that even after all this time, there is nothing quite like bringing 1000 ft steel vessels to berth at the Port of Oakland.
