Captain Jennifer Howard drives Golden Gate ferries. Jennifer is a beautiful young woman who looks like a model and the girl next door at the same time.
By Mary Swift-Swan
Published: April, 2004
Captain Jennifer Howard drives Golden Gate ferries. Jennifer is a beautiful young woman who looks like a model and the girl next door at the same time. Her infectious laugh, genuinely kind nature, and unerring command of the ship combine in a surprising and impressive way. There is no mistaking that she is the Captain. On a recent voyage, she had a mini stair step that helped her see better, as she is not very tall. It also helps keep her energy up and keeps her in shape. She teased the other captains ever so gently, encouraging them to try it. Jennifer was not accepted immediately by Golden Gate after graduating from Cal Maritime. After a trial run, she found that she needed more time on docking practices and learning the varied conditions of the Bay Area waterways. After months of working for other companies, she was finally hired.
Jennifer often worked as the mid-day relief driver on the Golden Gate. She enjoys the beautiful ride near the Golden Gate Bridge, then down the City front and around Alcatraz. She said she never tires of the view. Jennifer regularly drives the newer boats on the Larkspur run so driving the Golden Gate was a fun break in her routine. “The Golden Gate is such a sweet old girl, but she can be a handful,” she told me. “If you can drive her though, you can drive anything,” Captain Jennifer laughed. The vessel the Golden Gate was the second ferry brought back into service on the Bay after being retrofitted by Sausalito businessmen. The Golden Gate’s last run was the last Friday in March 2004. Captain Jennifer will miss her.
BC: Where did the nickname Sharkie come from?
JH: My Dad came up with the nickname Sharkie, very few people know of it. He came up with it because I have a shark tattoo, which I got at a very young age. I waited for a few years to tell him, but once he knew of it, I became Sharkie.
BC: Was your family involved in the maritime industry?
JH: My family was not into the maritime industry in any way. We were truck drivers and lumberjacks, real landlubbers. For me, it was driving things. I drove trucks and tractors at a young age, driving trucks with horse-trailers as I got older. That is how I got to enjoy driving big things. I drove my first boat in 1991 at 21, in my sophomore year. A little tug boat at the Maritime Academy. I made the decision on the spot not to ship out but instead to get onto tugs or ferries if I could.
BC: What got you interested in going to the Maritime Academy?
JH: The inspiration to attend Cal Maritime came from being friends with a family who were in the maritime industry for years. I was inspired by the people who passed through their home, who were mariners. Their lifestyle was really appealing to me. I realized I did not want to spend a lot of time and money in college, to end up at a desk somewhere. I was interested in the freedom, the lifestyle it (the maritime industry) had to offer. The hands-on; I tend to be more blue collar than anything else, so it was really appealing to me.
BC: Did you think of being a deckhand first or did you know you were going to go straight to being a Captain?
JH: No, I didn’t think of being a deckhand. I think I’m too bossy. I always went straight to the Captain’s chair.
BC: Is your husband involved in boating on the water at all?
JH: Not other than kayaks and small craft. He works with little boats while I work with big ones.
BC: How long have you been driving now?
JH: It’s been ten years. I graduated from Cal Maritime in January of 1993. I worked for a tug boat company for a couple of years. West Star in San Francisco was a great company to me. I learned a lot working there. They let me drive their small boats. They were really great, allowing me to hop on the tugs and do little jobs. I was given the opportunity with the other drivers to use their boats to practice on.
BC: One last question. Who would you ask for dinner, living or dead?
JH: Carl Sagan, Ashley Monteque, and humm.
The clock tower bells struck, announcing it was 4 p.m. at the Ferry Building. It was time for Captain Sharkie to cast off.
