Phranklin McKinney

Because the captains and engineers may not be in plain sight during your daily San Francisco Bay Ferry commute, the Blue & Gold Fleet’s deckhands are the most visible faces of the crew. Lead Deckhand Phranklin McKinney has been with Blue & Gold Fleet for the past 20 years, currently working on the Oakland/Alameda commute.

By Matt Larson

Published: June, 2013

"I’m not one of those people who likes to be stuck in an office," McKinney said. "I’m out on the water and all kinds of things can happen. The cargo ships come in, the sunsets, sunrises—I get to see all of that." Talking about his favorite sight on the Oakland/Alameda run, he offered some insight on what to look for on your next commute. "Sometimes on a clear day you can see all three bridges," he said. "Coming west from Oakland there’s the Bay Bridge, more north you can see the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and, if it’s not foggy, you can actually see the Golden Gate Bridge as well."

A lot of responsibility comes with being a lead deckhand. "If the captain has some concerns or issues, he would probably talk it over with the lead deckhand first," he said. "Then it will be relayed from the lead deckhand to the rest of the crew." Though McKinney has earned some seniority, he’s not always the only qualified lead deckhand on board. "There’s times when I could be working with two other guys and we have a combination of about 60 years of experience." So rest assured that you’re in good hands on the way to and from the City.

One of the greatest parts of McKinney’s job is the social interaction with the riders. "I’m a people person," he said. "I like interacting with the customers." A San Francisco native, McKinney currently lives in Alameda and enjoys running into passengers when he’s out around town. "Sometimes they don’t recognize me because I don’t have the uniform on," he said. "But when they find out that it’s me after they look a little closer it always makes them smile to see that I’m part of the Alameda community. My kids go to school in Alameda, along with some of the passengers’ kids. It’s pretty special."

McKinney graduated from the University of Hawaii with a degree in physical education and went on to be a professional basketball player. "I’ve actually won several titles playing basketball overseas," he said. He spent time playing in Europe, Africa and Asia. "All in all, my journey lasted 14 years. It was a good run." He has since coached professionally at Los Medanos Community College in Pittsburg, Cal State Monterey Bay and recently took the minor-league Richmond Rockets to the final four, finishing sixth in the American Basketball Association just last year. "After that I decided to purchase my own team," said McKinney. He is now CEO of the Visalia Vandals, a team set to begin competition in 2014. He actually credits his sports career as helping him to become such a great deckhand.

"Sometimes you have to make certain calls and you don’t have time to wait for a reply," said McKinney. "I think I bring that instinct you need to make good decisions on the spot. That probably came from being an athlete for so many years." It is up to the deckhands to ensure that the boat is safe and secure below the captain’s helm. "We are the eyes of the captain, so to speak, when it comes to making sure everything is secure downstairs with the passengers."

According to McKinney, one of the top reasons people commute via ferry is that it’s less stressful. You don’t have to deal with the traffic that brings stress, or the wear and tear on your vehicle. During that 15-20 minute ride when you don’t have to worry, you can just concentrate on healthy things," he continued. "That’s the sort of feedback I get from the customers. You don’t have to think about anything! It’s sort of therapeutic."