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Rutherford Joins St. Johns Bar Pilots

January 31, 2019
Rutherford Ride Alongs

For our first Rutherford Ride Along, I joined Captain Scott O'Connor to learn about the important work of the St. Johns Bar Pilots. Captain O'Connor is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and belongs to the St. Johns Bar Pilots Association, a select group of highly skilled mariners who are tasked with the responsibility of safely guiding incoming cargo ships through the St. Johns River entrance. These pilots must be always at the ready – regardless of time of day or weather.

During our time together, we went aboard the Perla Del Caribe, a Tote LNG container ship, and I watched the Tote crew and Captain O'Connor work together to safely bring the ship to dock for unloading at JAXPORT. The First Coast is fortunate to have a robust maritime economy employing thousands of people and playing a critical role in logistics throughout the Southeastern U.S. My thanks go out to Captain O'Connor and his entire crew for sharing with me a small piece of their day to day life on the river.

To see a short video of our day, please click here.