Made For Rough Waters: The Importance of Columbia River Bar Pilots

I feel slightly ridiculous to open this article with a discussion of travel in a time where most of us calculate the risks for every trip outside our front door, but Astoria, Oregon has been on my mind a lot these past few weeks. My wife and I have made an annual pilgrimage to the United States' oldest settlement west of the Rockies for over half a decade, and it’s unfortunately not in the cards for 2020. There are a lot of things to miss, but the view looking out on the Megler bridge is at the top of my list. One of my favorite pastimes is to watch the boat traffic as it sleepily passes by on the Columbia River. The picture above is not mine, but I have viewed it all the same, countless times from the windows of the Cannery Pier Hotel - hundreds of ships of every size, color, origin and purpose all making their way from the Pacific Ocean to the Columbia River and back again.

Lost in the serenity of their passing, one could be blissfully unaware of the treacherous process these ships endure just to enter the mouth of the Columbia. I certainly was, until a visit to the local Columbia River Maritime Museum where I learned of the water's infamous history for shipwrecks. A history that precedes even the journey of the Tonquin, the vessel sent by John Jacob Astor as part of a sea/land expedition to set up base for a trans-continental trading empire. Responsible for the ships' difficulty in entering the mouth is the Columbia River Bar –a sandbar approximately 3 miles wide that reaches about 6 miles into the ocean. The Columbia River Bar is one of the most dangerous and challenging stretches of water in the world. It is an area where the powerful current of the Columbia River meets the oft stormy tides of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in an ever-changing river bottom and massive swells that can reach above 20 feet (enough to lurch and roll even the sturdiest ships.) The presence of the Columbia River Bar has given the surrounding waters the nickname the “Graveyard of the Pacific,” claiming over 2,000 vessels and 700 lives since 1792.

Steps have been taken to reduce the number of shipwrecks, including the construction of the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse (1856) and the North Head Lighthouse (1898) which both still operate today. Perhaps the most fascinating measure taken however, is the unyielding requirement that all ships entering from ocean to river and back must be guided in and out of the bar by a licensed Columbia River Bar pilot. Over 10 ships a day make this journey, equating to well over $24 billion dollars in commerce each year. It is important for these ships to arrive safely and on-time without causing damage to the environmental or infrastructure. The bar pilots that help them do so have been around since 1846, today operating out of high-speed pilot boats to reach traveling crafts safely.

This is the official definition of their profession per the Columbia River Bar Pilot website:

“All vessels engaged in foreign trade are required to employ a Columbia River Bar Pilot licensed by the State of Oregon when crossing the Columbia River Bar. The licensing standard for the Columbia River Bar Pilots is one of the highest in the nation. Each Columbia River Bar Pilot must hold an unlimited master’s license and have served a minimum of two years as master of oceangoing vessels. Once aboard, the pilot assumes navigational conduct of the vessel using his or her experience and local knowledge to safely navigate the restricted channels of the Columbia River, and over the bar to and from sea. These experienced Columbia River Bar Pilots guide approximately 3,600 vessel crossings of the bar each year – from 100-foot tugs to 1,100-foot tankers, bulk carriers, car carriers, log ships, general cargo ships, container ships and passenger ships.”

In fair weather, Columbia River Bar pilots will usually go aboard a ship via helicopter. In dangerous weather, they will arrive the old-fashioned way – by leaving the safety of the pilot boat to climb a rope ladder (frequently in the midst of rough water and crashing waves.) Whichever method they use to get there, the crew is happy to have their expertise present on the ship. The economic incentive to arrive on-time without incident is large, and these waters can make even experienced crews appear as amateurs. The bar pilot once aboard takes navigational responsibility of the ship to lead them safely across.

In the midst of a global pandemic, the metaphor for rough waters is highly applicable to all industries. In examining the work which these brave bar pilots accomplish, I believe we can find lessons to improve how we navigate in the current environment. Here are some of my takeways:

Columbia River Bar Pilots form indispensable relationships quickly

Even with advances in technology - high-speed pilot boats with full rollover and self-righting capability, equipped with advanced navigation, communication and safety equipment - the process for a Columbia River Bar pilot to board another ship is still inherently dangerous. The waiting crew recognizes this, as do they recognize the responsibility the bar pilot is willing to accept when taking control over the ship’s navigation. In guiding these vessels, the pilots are staking everyone’s safety, along with the ships' livelihood, on their skills and experience. While this relationship is not long-lasting - only the time together across the bar - the pilot is indispensable for the entire life of the journey.

Think of the trust that must be formed in a short amount of time! By granting control of their ship, the crew is accepting the mission of the bar pilot. There is also an unspoken understanding by the crew that the bar pilot is willing to risk their own safety and reputation for the vessel's mission - the missions become united and in doing so the success of both crew and pilot is interwoven together. That’s partnership defined!

Our business relationships last much longer than a bar crossing, and so the question becomes how can we replicate that same energy to create indispensable partnerships? At its core, the existence of both a Columbia River Bar Pilot’s profession and your own are rooted in the ability to solve problems. The problem which bar pilots solve is to help ensure commerce on the Columbia River continues safely and efficiently. I can't be sure, dear reader, what problems you are meant to solve for others in your own career, but if you want to be indispensable in your relationships, you must be committed to finding them out and creating solutions that deliver results.

However, I think it is fair to say that expertise/problem solving is not sufficient enough for the creation of indispensable relationships. The level of trust required to be indispensable also comes from engagement in another's mission and the willingness to treat it as our very own. Columbia River Bar Pilots are not only experienced; they are actively involved.

You see that proficiency and engagement are both necessities to a strong partnership. Engagement without the ability to add value is no different than fandom, and experience without engagement in one's mission leaves little room for lasting root - the partnership is transactional only. One cannot properly serve as a partner in another's mission if either a novice or disengaged from the mission's stakes.

The company I work for (#1KS) has a stated goal to be an indispensable resource to our customers. It is a privilege to see this lived out by our people each day. I think our pathway for this is similar to what I see in Columbia River Bar Pilots – engaged partnering with others and using our experience and expertise to deliver consistent results for them.

Columbia River Bar Pilots never stop learning how to improve

The journey to become a Columbia River Bar Pilot is arduous, as outlined on their website:

“Since the inception of the Columbia River Bar Pilots in 1846, the State of Oregon has required each pilot to hold an unlimited tonnage Master Mariner’s license. Today this must include having sailed as master at least two years on ships of at least 5,000 gross tons. This is one of the highest licensing standards in the United States, and is warranted by the extreme weather typical of winter crossings. Applicants will have been at sea for 15 to 25 years to satisfy this requirement.

To obtain a federal pilotage endorsement on the master license, the applicant must draw the Columbia River entrance chart by memory, as well as write out the light list and pass several other tests proving his or her knowledge of the bar. After acceptance into the group, the pilot trainee must complete a minimum of 100 crossings in the presence of a licensed pilot, and must perform the piloting independently on many of these crossings.”

After accomplishing everything required to perform their occupation, these pilots do not sit on their laurels and then rely solely on their experience (which I feel would be easy to do with their pedigree.) Instead, they are committed to continually improving their skills, which is why each pilot transfer from pilot boat to vessel is filmed. These films range from routine weather to violent storms which resulted in the loss of a colleague. Columbia River Bar Pilots study everything in these tapes … and so doing gleam knowledge out of everything they study.

No matter the wealth of our experience, we must avoid becoming complacent. If we are to grow into the best iteration of ourselves, we must practice the discipline of learning with extreme repetition. Our personal missions and the missions we are partner to depend on it.

 Columbia River Bar Pilots aren't there by accident

Make no mistake. Anyone willing to have the type of career that can lead to a Columbia River Bar Pilot’s license and then still go out and daily steer ships across one of the roughest stretches of water on earth is making a conscious choice to do so. Whatever force that is personally driving them must be stronger than the conditions they face. Too frequently, we can subscribe to the idea (what I think we all know is a false notion) that if you follow your passions then you will “never work a day in your life.” Hard work is still hard and bad days are part of any job, but if you are grounded in your mission, you can survive the swells of compromise and apathy.

Instead, you will continually make the choice to be present. In doing so, two questions must be constantly considered to be sure you are on the right path.

1.      Where do I want to be?

2.      Am I willing to accept the costs to get there?

Its amazing to think back on how your answer to the first question can change throughout the course of a career, but wherever you are headed - to be at your best - there are no shortcuts in getting there. Even knowing the answer to Question 1, the second question will be always waiting for an answer. Accomplishing your own set mission, and the missions of those you partner with, means taking on the costs that come with leaving the safety of the pilot ship in order to climb the ladder to your destiny.

Putting it all together

I could sit and watch tug boats and carrier ships pass underneath the Astoria-Megler bridge for hours on end (especially with a cup of Thundermuck coffee in my hand.) One day as I do so, I’d like to be able to look back on a career where similar to these bar pilots, when challenged by my own rough seas, I was still able to guide others places they couldn’t possibly reach on their own.

I look forward to that time, but right now there is still too much to learn, experience to be gained, and ships to climb aboard. There will also be bars I must cross which require the help of others. For in the end, I believe our own experiences and knowledge are meant to provide us with the tools necessary to pilot others out of obstacles and toward their destiny. Our entire world is in the midst of rough seas. If ever delivered the opportunity to make a bar-crossing difference in someone's life, especially today, know that there are some ships you cannot afford to simply watch pass by. 

Ref:

Those Who Serve: Columbia River bar pilots risk their lives to guide cargo ships https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZCLKq1XVFg (worth the 10 minute watch)

Columbia River Bar Pilots Official Website https://columbiariverbarpilots.com/

GRAVEYARD OF THE PACIFIC - https://www.visitlongbeachpeninsula.com/graveyard-pacific