Jari "Howdy" Hytonen, a captain for Blue & Gold Fleet, isn’t much different from the other captains we’ve met so far.
Captain Jari Hytonen at Pier 41 in the wheelhouse of his favorite boat, Paralta. Photo by Matt Larson
By Matt Larson
Published: January, 2013
Jari "Howdy" Hytonen, a captain for Blue & Gold Fleet, isn’t much different from the other captains we’ve met so far. "I think we’re all pretty much the same," he said of the fleet’s captaining styles. "I want to be as gentle as possible. And always—safety of the passengers and crew is number one."
A jack of all maritime trades, Hytonen has worked as an engineer, deckhand, diesel mechanic and captain. Even still, you can sometimes find him operating as a crew member on board. "There’s many times that I’ve thought of being on crew as a nice treat," said Hytonen. "It’s quite physical; I think I’ve stayed in quite good shape being a crew member. As captain it’s more mental. What we’re using these days is basically a joystick, not a heavy steering wheel." Another great part of being on crew is that Hytonen gets more chances to interact with the passengers. "I see some of the same people a lot. It’s always nice meeting new passengers."
Born in Finland, Hytonen began his maritime excursions at just six years old. "We had our own family boat," he said. "We sailed every day in the summer for months on the islands between Finland and Sweden." Then, in 1976 at age 15, his parents’ divorce changed Hytonen’s life forever. "I had the option to go to school and stay with my mom, or go sailing with my dad."
It didn’t take long for Hytonen to decide upon his fate. "A few minutes later I said, ‘I’ll go with my dad.’ For the next 25 days on a 35-foot sailboat, just father and son, we went to England, Spain, Portugal, Canary Islands, across to Brazil." It wasn’t an easy trip. In the Bay of Biscay between England and Spain they encountered 45-foot waves amidst winds at 70-80 knots, and all they used for navigation was a plastic sextant (a celestial navigator) and a compass. "I still have the sextant," Hytonen said.
"When I left with my dad from Finland we wanted to sail around the world, but my dad met my stepmom in Brazil, and then we didn’t go around the world. We ended up in the U.S. instead." Fortunately, it all worked out for Hytonen. He met his wife at a coffee shop in Berkeley and they now reside in San Leandro with their two children.
Of all the Blue & Gold runs, Alameda/Oakland is Hytonen’s favorite commute. "I like it because of all the ships, the estuary, the bridge, the city view; I think it’s interesting," he said. And his favorite boat is the Peralta. "You’re in close contact with the crew, and it’s pretty fast."
Hytonen finds it a wonderful lifestyle to work on the water every day. "I really appreciate the passengers and I’m happy that all these years they have been coming on the ferries and continuing this lifestyle," he said. "If you go by BART, many times you have standing room only. Ferries usually have enough seating," he explained. "You can also go outside and get a breath of fresh air—can’t do that on the train!"
Safety is also a big reason for Hytonen’s preference of maritime travel. "I feel safer on the water than the airplanes because I can participate. At 36,000 feet, if something goes wrong, you can’t float around and fix things." And he feels especially safe here in the Bay Area. "You’re always near land, and even when it’s windy in rough weather we’ve got a Vessel Mutual Assitance Plan, so each ferry can help each other if there is a problem, and it’s orchestrated by the Coast Guard."
Having worked as a mariner all over the world, Hytonen is happy to have settled here in the Bay Area. "There are 18,000 islands to navigate through in Finland," he said. "And, the whole sea can get frozen. It’s hard to think that the San Francisco Bay will get frozen, so, this is like paradise compared to that."
