This January begins yet another year in the maritime career of William Golson, who works as a deckhand for Golden Gate Fleet. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army as a sergeant in 1996 after six years of military service, and moved from Texas to the Bay Area.
William Golson has worked for Golden Gate Fleet as a deckhand for 15 years. He also obtained a captain’s license and recently became a part-time vessel master for Blue & Gold Fleet.
By Matt Larson
Published: January, 2016
This January begins yet another year in the maritime career of William Golson, who works as a deckhand for Golden Gate Fleet. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army as a sergeant in 1996 after six years of military service, and moved from Texas to the Bay Area. First, he worked in construction, then as a technician at St. Rose Hospital and Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. He finally found his way into the Inlandboatmen’s Union in 2001 and, as he said, “I never looked back.”
Fifteen years later, Golson still goes to work with a smile. “It’s a great job to have out there on the Bay,” he said. “My primary focus while working is public safety, security and customer satisfaction.” And with great customers and a great staff, Golson’s daily duties become even more joyful. “The environment at Golden Gate is very amiable,” he said. “Everybody pretty much gets along.”
That’s the part of the job that Golson enjoys the most—watching the passengers enjoy their ferry cruise to the fullest. This is also something he tries to remind himself during a typical workday. “It’s very therapeutic being out there on the water,” he said. “We kind of tend to take it for granted. The landscape of San Francisco, the skyline and the waterfront, is very spectacular. Whether it’s night or day—it’s a spectacular view.”
As nice as the view is from the passenger seats, it’s hard to beat what the captain sees up in the wheelhouse. Maybe that’s why Golson has taken the initiative to work his way up from the deck to the helm. After nine years working as a deckhand, he acquired his captain’s license. Now, after years of training and preparation, he has been hired as a part-time vessel master (in other words, a captain) by Blue & Gold Fleet. He’s now officially a full-time deckhand and a part-time vessel master.
“Driving those vessels is another world,” said Golson. Despite all those years as a deckhand, it’s an entirely different perspective from the control booth. “It’s a very humbling experience,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of people depending on you to get them to their destination safely, and when you’re up there in the wheelhouse you have a lot of different things going on—targets, other vessels, sailboats, big ships coming in and out of the Bay, kayakers, windsurfers—it’s a mental workout being up there behind the helm.”
When he’s not working out his mind, he’s often working out at the gym during his days off. Either that or tending to his garden or his house. He likes to stay occupied, and likes to stay healthy. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working because Golson is not one to miss a day of work. “I have 8,000 hours never calling in sick,” he said. “I have perfect attendance at Golden Gate for the past seven years.”
Camping is one of Golson’s favorite things to do in his spare time. Ask him about his journeys to Trinity Lake west of Shasta, Yosemite and more. Sometimes, he’ll just look for water spots on the map and plan a weekend to go there. He’s traveled a lot, including a two-year tour in Germany with the military, plus jungle training in Panama and camping trips galore—so as an expert traveler you should listen to Golson’s advice, especially when traveling locally here throughout the Bay Area.
“There are no traffic jams out there on the water,” said Golson. “Not at this point, anyway.” He explains how taking the ferry is the best guarantee of arriving in San Francisco on schedule. “You can get on that vessel and pretty much 99.99 percent of the time, you’ll be at your destination on time.”
