Five Facts I Did Not Know About the San Francisco Bar Pilots – gCaptain

I did not know that the Legislature sets the rates

Most interesting... and very informative...

..."... The fifth fact ... I did not know is that the fee that a San Francisco Bar pilot charges for his services is set by the California Legislature. Because pilotage is compulsory in San Francisco, and the pilots have a monopoly on providing the services, the Legislature sets the rates a pilot can charge (the charge for crossing the sand bar just outside of the Golden Gate Bridge is calculated on both the gross tonnage of the ship and the draft). If either the ship owners or the pilots want to change the pilotage rates, the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun holds public hearings on the matter. Based on the information gathered in those hearings, the Commission makes a pilotage fee rate recommendation to the Legislature. That recommendation is considered along with other evidence when either the pilots or a ship owner finds a legislator willing to sponsor a bill containing changes to the pilotage rates. The San Francisco Bar Pilots, who are all licensed by the Pilot Commission, operate as an association that pools both the income from providing pilotage services and the cost of providing those services. At the end of the year, the pilots divide up the net profit evenly amongst the members of the association. In recent years that profit has been adequate enough to “attract” new pilots and “hold” onto the ones that are working...."...