Currently the youngest ferry operator for the Blue & Gold Fleet, Captain Christopher Taylor has been with the company for just about three years.
Blue & Gold Captain Christopher Taylor at the controls of the Mare Island during the San Francisco Bay Ferry route to Vallejo. Photo by Captain Laura Smith
By Matt Larson
Published: February, 2013
Currently the youngest ferry operator for the Blue & Gold Fleet, Captain Christopher Taylor has been with the company for just about three years. "There are some people who have worked here longer than I’ve been alive," Taylor said. "It was kind of intimidating to come in as a 25-year-old captain, but everyone was extremely helpful, friendly, professional and courteous; they really helped me make the transition."
Before Blue & Gold, Taylor was working on tour boats for Hornblower cruises. And it wasn’t too long before that when he graduated from the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo; he studied to be a deck officer and got a minor in engineering. "The end goal at the time was to work on tugboats," Taylor said. "But once I got to drive boats at Hornblower, I realized that was what I wanted to do." Taylor decided that he wanted to spend his time operating the high-speed ferries, and now that he’s at Blue & Gold he couldn’t be happier. "Blue & Gold is my dream job."
What’s not to like? "I look forward to going to work every day," said Taylor. "I love working with the people that I work with. Being outdoors, the great views—it’s just great." He can be found on any given run as he’s currently filling in where and when he’s needed throughout the winter season, but his favorite runs are Alameda/Oakland and Vallejo.
"The Vallejo commute is nice because I like the boats—they’re the fastest boats we have. It has nice scenery; you get great sunsets over Mount Tamalpais," Taylor said. "Alameda/Oakland I like because it’s very fast-paced. You get to do a lot of runs, a lot of landings, and I grew up and live in Alameda, so it’s kind of nice to go to my home town on the ferry." At home in Alameda, Taylor lives with his wife and three-year-old son.
Taylor remembers going fishing and scuba diving with his father right here in the same waters he’s working on now. "I grew up going to the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco, going on the ships they have over there," said Taylor. "I never knew it could be a career until I went to a college career fair and found the California Maritime Academy. I was pretty much instantly sold."
People may not realize it as they board the ferry and enjoy the scenery on their way to and from their destinations, but it’s no Carnival cruise up there in the helm. "It can be challenging every day in different ways," said Taylor. "It keeps you on your toes." Be it the fog, the elements or the "weekend warriors"—a term used for people taking leisurely cruises on their personal watercraft—a ferry captain must remain alert at all times. "We also have a lot of different boats and each one handles just a little bit differently."
Just as there are a variety of boats at Blue & Gold, there are a variety of captains as well. Although they all put safety first, their own personal touch comes in second. "I don’t know if it makes me unique, but I try very hard to be very smooth," said Taylor. "I try to understand why the boat is doing what it’s doing—what forces are acting upon it, the physics involved—I definitely try to handle the boat with finesse. That’s my goal."
For the up-and-coming ferry captain, Taylor has some pretty basic advice: "I would definitely recommend looking into the Maritime Academy in Vallejo," he said. "I got to learn a lot of great skills and go all over the world, and where else can you get college credits for driving a tugboat around the Bay?" It sure paid off for Taylor, and he’s loving every minute of it. "I really enjoy being able to take people out in the boats on the Bay that I grew up on and love, getting them to and from work safely. It’s something I really enjoy doing."
