Casual Operations Supervisor Shayne Velasco

For over two years, Shayne Velasco has been a casual operations supervisor for Golden Gate Ferry. A casual operations supervisor works in the customer areas of the ferry terminals, ensuring the safety of the patrons and making sure that everything is running correctly and on time.

 

This is not his first job in the ferry business, however. “I worked for the Angel Island Ferry when I was 16,” he said. He started there as a deckhand and worked his way up to first mate, then to captain, then to general manager. He was captain for a few of those years. “I still miss it,” he said. “It didn’t seem like work.” 

 

And now as an operations supervisor? Velasco said it still doesn’t feel like work.  As a “casual,” he may get called to go to Larkspur, Sausalito or San Francisco on any given day. “I could be working in Sausalito one day, Larkspur the next day, San Francisco the next day.” So if you don’t see him for a while, it’s because he’s probably working elsewhere. And he likes having that flexibility. “I like to break up the monotony.” 

 

The two questions Velasco gets asked most frequently are: “When will the next ferry boat will leave?” and “How do I pay for parking?” “The parking answer for Larkspur is that it’s posted on all the green signs throughout the parking lot,” said Velasco. But Velasco is happy to answer customers’ questions no matter how often they are asked.

 

Velasco has settled comfortably into his job. “It’s where I feel I’m supposed to be,” he said. “I love being on the water, my family’s always been on the water—my dad was a longshoreman here in the Bay.” As a child he would often join his dad on his way to work. “I would ride to work every so often with my dad, on a Friday because that was his late start day. I just loved the boats and loved the water.” 

 

Some of his favorite places in the Bay, after seeing so much of it all his life, are Angel Island and the Tiburon and Sausalito waterfronts. “They always remind me of coming home,” he said, being a San Rafael resident and Larkspur native. “They’re just places where I would always have my happiest memories.”

 

Despite his affinity for the water, Velasco admits that he’s currently a bit of a land lover. He spends much of his free time either biking or barbecuing. “I haven’t been biking as much because I’m a fair-weather biker,” he said with a laugh. When weather permits, he does like to take the trails around China Camp. And when time permits, his barbecue specialty is teriyaki beef. He hasn’t entered any barbecuing competitions yet, but “I’ve been encourged to,” he said. His friends and family would love for him to bottle the sauce. “It’s the Velasco family recipe.” 

 

With bikes, barbecue and a job by the water, Velasco really seems to have it made. He also has a great support system with his family. “My mother, Doris, lives in Larkspur and has been a great influence and great support throughout the years,” he said. “And I thank my wife, Jennifer, for believing in me.” 

 

Velasco highly recommends taking the ferry if it works with your schedule. “It’s a great way to relax on your way to work,” he said. “It cuts you off from all the traffic that’s going across the bridge; it’s a win-win for everything.” Next time you’re in the ferry terminal, see if you can find him. “I’m easy to identify,” he said. “I’m the big guy with the Hawaiian shirt on all the time. If you see me, go ahead and say hi!”