Video: What It’s Like to Be a Ship Pilot in New York Harbor

Lying below the surface of the bay and extending from the tip of Sandy Hook to the south shore of Long Island is a series of shoals that separate the sheltered estuary of New York Harbor from the deeper waters of the Atlantic; known as the Bar of Sandy Hook. For over three centuries the mariners tasked with guiding the ships across this bar have been known as Sandy Hook Pilots.

Sandy Hook Pilot Robert Blake, Jr. describes what it’s like to be a ship pilot working in New York Harbor. The video was produced by the Gothamist and released along with the feature story, How New York Harbor Pilots Master These Treacherous Waters.