Thousands of people depend on the ferry service in the Bay Area every day for a variety of reasons-be it getting to and from work, seeing friends or family or just getting away from it all and taking advantage of living in such an amazing place with such breathtaking views.
Amanda Hogarth is a captain for Golden Gate Ferry, but she got her start in the South Pacific.
By Matt Larson
Published: May, 2015
Thousands of people depend on the ferry service in the Bay Area every day for a variety of reasons—be it getting to and from work, seeing friends or family or just getting away from it all and taking advantage of living in such an amazing place with such breathtaking views. In this column, we get to know the people involved in providing this vital service.
You may recognize Amanda Hogarth as a captain for Golden Gate Ferry, or you may recognize her from Alcatraz Cruises, where she first began captaining in the Bay. She’s been with Golden Gate for the past two years and got her captain’s license five years ago while with Alcatraz Cruises. You may also see her captaining for Blue & Gold from time to time.
Her experience at the helm here in the Bay began shortly after moving here from Tonga, a Polynesian sovereign state of about 177 islands located in the southern Pacific Ocean about a third of the way to Hawaii from New Zealand.
Originally from San Diego, Hogarth lived in Tonga between the ages of 16 and 22. There, she and her mother owned and operated a company called Endangered Encounters. They’d take people out into the ocean to swim with humpback whales—one of the few places in the world with such an opportunity.
It was in Tonga that she got her first experiences working professionally on the water. “That’s kind of where it all started,” she said. “It was a good experience.” She helped photographer Tony Wu capture some of his world-famous underwater images and worked with BBC, National Geographic and many more. Her mother is still there and just helped IMAX with its new documentary film Humpback Whales.
Upon Hogarth’s return to the states, she came straight to the Bay Area and immediately started looking for a job on the water. At the time, there were no job openings to be found in her field. “Originally I wanted to work as a deckhand but they just didn’t have any positions posted.” She was determined to get her foot in the door any way she could, so she ended up applying as a snack bar attendant for Alcatraz Cruises. Fortunately, as soon as the company saw her resume full of professional boating experience, she was hired right away as a deckhand and attained her captain’s license a few years after that.
Hogarth is now right where she wants to be, up in the helm on San Francisco Bay. “It just feels right,” she said. “This has always been what I wanted to pursue. I like being outside, I like the sea air—it feels like what I’m supposed to do.” With an office providing some of the best views of the Bay every day, it leaves little room to complain.
The biggest difference between working the waterways here in the Bay as compared to in the South Pacific? “I wear thermals … a lot,” she laughed. She most often works for Golden Gate Ferry out of the Larkspur terminal, which is convenient for her as she can literally walk to work. She enjoys living in Marin and likes spending her time either tending to her garden or biking around town.
Considering all of the wonderful viewpoints in the Bay, Hogarth’s favorite route is the night shift coming into Marin. “Sometimes the fog sort of rolls over the hills in Sausalito when the sun’s coming down,” she said. “It’s always really nice to see.” But there are great views all along the way. She recommends taking the ferry for two main reasons: “You’re not stuck in traffic, and you get to see the Bay!”
So the next time you see Captain Hogarth, you’ll have a few talking points. Maybe you’ve been to Tonga yourself and can share some stories.
