For 170 years, the San Francisco Bar Pilots have been navigating the world’s largest ships through some of North America’s mo ... st difficult waterways. These state and federally-licensed master mariners are highly-specialized ship captains who rely on navigational experience, ship-handling skills, and local knowledge to transport more than $1.2 billion in goods to and from 200 Bay Area ports, docks, and berths every day. This critical service protects more than 1,000 miles of fragile coastline and 90% of the state’s marshlands. read more