The Perils of Navigating the Mississippi: One Pilots Personal Story

To ensure safe passage, local pilots take navigational responsibility of foreign ships as soon as they begin their journey on the river. The pilot ladder is one of the more dangerous parts of the job; there’s a tragic rate of 1 pilot death a year from climbing the ladder itself. Despite the risk, it’s still the best way for a pilot to board and disembark a moving vessel. A number of pilots have died as a result of accidents while boarding and disembarking ships and many more have been seriously injured. 

Captain Strother Sacra narrowly evaded peril in a notoriously dangerous, everyday task for a pilot; climbing a pilot ladder while boarding a ship. The power of the ships combined with the unrelenting force of the mighty Mississippi creates the need for a single person with exceptional skill and safety as their only focus. Despite the dangerous conditions, the Crescent Pilots are on call 24/7, 365 days a year to meet the needs of the industry.