What is a Bar Pilot?
A bar pilot or maritime pilot is a professional who helps to guide ships through navigationally challenging waters. While the bar pilot is on board, he or she provides advice to the captain; this advice is based on knowledge of local waters, weather conditions, and the abilities of the captain’s boat. Typically, the captain retains legal control and responsibility of the ship, although a bar pilot can be held accountable for egregious navigational errors which result in substantial damages. There are several different kinds of maritime pilot. A bar pilot is experienced at navigating ships over shoals and sandbars, which are often found near major harbors. A bay pilot can handle navigation in a bay or inlet, while a river pilot navigates ships along rivers. In some cases, a maritime pilot may be qualified to work in two or even all three of these areas; in San Francisco, California, for example, bar pilots can guide ships past the shoals outside the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Bay a
A Bar Pilot is one who, though not belonging to a ship’s company, is licensed to conduct a ship into and out of port or through dangerous waters. The word “bar” refers to the sandbars that form near the mouth of an inlet or river that create dangerous conditions for mariners without extensive local experience. All St. Johns Bar Pilots are licensed unlimited Master Mariners and hold licenses as First Class Pilots from the U.S. Coast Guard and the State of Florida, Department of Professional Regulation and State Board of Pilot Commissioners.
