St. Johns Bar Pilot Association History

In the early 1800's as the commercial ports of the St Johns River began to develop, brave and skilled seafarers with local knowledge rowed to sea to meet the cargo sailing ships to guide them across the treacherous sand bars that guarded the river entrance. This was the origin of the St. Johns Bar Pilots. Initially it was a bit of a free-for-all as competition was keen among these pilots to be first to "call for the ship" and claim the right to pilot the ships in and out of port.

In 1890 an enterprising pilot, Captain George Spaulding, purchased a former America's Cup contender, the schooner "META". Understandably very fast, Captain Spaulding and META were soon winning the majority of "Calls" for the St. Johns. At the urging of the other pilots, Captain Spaulding sold shares in META and created the St. Johns Bar Pilot Association in the fall of 1890. META became the first official St. Johns Pilot Boat.

The custom of the day was for the daily assigned pilot to board META at dawn taking station outside the mouth of the river. After a day of working, the pilots would return just before sunset. It wasn't until 1931 that a Richfield Tanker navigated the river at night opening up a new era in commercial service arrivals and departures.

The first real pilot station was a pair of wooden buildings built on a low spit of land that formed Ribault Bay. That land is now under the carrier piers at the Mayport Naval Station, and Ribault Bay is now the Naval basin. The station was relocated to its current property with the construction of the Navy base in the 1940s.

For more than 100 years, the traditions of safety and excellence in service have been passed from one Captain the next. All of the modern St. Johns Bar Pilots hold unlimited Master Mariner licenses and have extensive leadership at sea experience. They often board vessels in the most frighening conditions of wind, seas, rain and fog. They are among the most intensely trained and experienced mariners in the world. Their dedication to serve the marine transportation interests of the port of Jacksonville are in keeping with their motto:

We serve the port, first and last.