When we started this “30 years of aerial photography in 30 weeks” project, I was certain that our most memorable shoots were behind us. This past March, however, we were shooting a site near the Golden Gate Bridge whenwe spotted a pilot boat speeding to catch up and match the speed ofa cargo ship that had just passed under the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a very fast “hand-off” for the pilot to be brought aboard a ship entering the bay and later taken off as the ship leaves the bay. In the close-up photo, you can see thatI snapped the picture just as the pilot grabs the ladder to climb aboard.It was one of those cases of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right camera, and definitely the right zoom lens.

Did you know: Every large ship that enters the San Francisco Bay will welcome aboard a local pilot, ensuring that the ship is navigated safely and efficiently with regard to the schedules, weather, and the bay’s specified shipping lanes. Most pilots have at least 15 years of maritime experience as a captain of a ship or tugboat, and the hands-on training required to become a pilot typically takes one to three years.

Few realize that these highly specialized professionals are responsible for bringing in every cargo ship, cruise ship, and military vessel, over 8000 ships a year, calling into the San Francisco Bay Area ports.