Chuck Elles is Blue & Gold Fleet’s Senior Captain. With 32 years at the company, he has first dibs on the late afternoon/early evening Vallejo ferry shift.
Blue & Gold Fleet’s Senior Captain Chuck Elles next to a newly refurbished engine on the Intintoli. Captain Elles made the 48-hour trip back from Seattle recently where the Intintoli was fully restored. Photo by Matt Larson
By Matt Larson
Published: April, 2012
Chuck Elles is Blue & Gold Fleet’s Senior Captain. With 32 years at the company, he has first dibs on the late afternoon/early evening Vallejo ferry shift.
But with power comes responsibility, and Captain Elles’ role is no different. He recently returned from a special trip to Seattle, and he brought with him the refitted Intintoli.
"We made it in 48 hours," Elles said. "It was carefully planned. We took the long-range forecast, found a weather window that worked and it was pretty mellow—perfect offshore conditions. It felt great driving the boat under the Golden Gate Bridge back up to Vallejo." The Intintoli was fully restored with a refurbished engine, new deck, new carpet, new seats and flat-screen TVs for the passengers, among others. "It’s state-of-the-art," said Elles. "It’s my new favorite boat."
Over the past 13 months, Elles made several trips up to Seattle to test the newly installed control systems on the Intintoli. Now that it’s returned, the Mare Island is next in about eight months. "It’s rewarding for me to improve the ferry service," he said. "To see a refurbished boat come back into the loop, it’s just nice to see that things are constantly getting better." But Elles isn’t the only one to thank for the quality of the ferry system.
"I have the utmost respect for our engineering staff at Baylink," Elles said. "If something’s broken, it’s fixed the next day. They’re the best in the business." And having a great crew means that Elles can man the helm to the best of his ability. "It makes me feel confident about running the boat, concentrating on navigating the vessel and doing my job, because I know everything down below is done right and in good working condition." And as far as the general upkeep of the place, Elles said, "You can eat off the deck plates down in the engine room. It’s that clean."
He also commends the management staff for not only listening to the ideas and input from the captains and crews, but actually acting upon it. A new feature on the Intintoli is a large front window in the wheelhouse, resulting in two window frames being removed. "It improves safety and visibility at high speed," Elles said. "That was my idea, and I’m glad I got it."
It is important to have a healthy relationship with co-workers, and it seems that’s always been the case with Blue & Gold Fleet. In fact, Elles met his wife in that very environment. "I was her deckhand," he said. "She was one of the first female captains on the Bay at Blue & Gold. When we were married we were declared by the officiant: captain and captain." They currently reside in Napa and have two twin daughters who work in Washington, D.C.
A Philadelphia native and former Heavenly Valley ski instructor, Elles maintains an active lifestyle. Be it snow skiing, marathon running or hundred-mile bike riding, "I don’t like to sit around too much," he said. Some people may also remember Elles as part of the Pier 39 Ski Extravaganza; it lasted four months in 1979. "It was a two-story high ski jump that we went off of, did flips and landed into a giant airbag. We thrilled the crowd!"
Keeping unnecessary thrills away from the ferryboat’s waterways, Elles sits comfortably at his midday shift. "I worked the morning shift for 10 years," he said. "I enjoy sleeping in a little bit now." And after 32 years with Blue & Gold, he still looks forward to watching the sunset from the wheelhouse. "Probably the favorite part of my day is watching the sun go down behind Mount Tam," he said. "I’m just happy to be up there."
Elles humbly accepts the accolades that come with his lengthy service to the commuter community, but he still puts the credit of his career on the crew. "It wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the excellent engineering staff and management staff at Baylink and Blue & Gold," he said. "I’m beating the heck out of that, but it’s the truth. They are the unsung heroes."
