Port Madison Yacht Club
Pilotage in Puget Sound and its adjacent waters has existed, in one form or another, since before Washington even became a state. In their current organization, since 1935, Puget Sound Pilots have been the local navigation and shiphandling experts for vessels from all around the world calling at Puget Sound ports. A small, yet extremely vital link in the maritime commerce chain, pilots board all manner of container ships, tankers, ro-ro’s, bulkers, cruise ships, naval vessels and even some yachts in all types of weather and time of day. They take navigational control, directing all movements and ensuring that Washington’s pristine waters and critical infrastructure are protected from the inherent risks of moving large vessels.
One of the 57 pilots currently licensed for Puget Sound, local Bainbridge Island resident Peter Mann will give a background of his experience from recreational sailor (including junior sailing at PMYC and sailing for the BHS sailing team), to graduating from a maritime academy and sailing on commercial tugs. That requisite career is what led him to becoming a Puget Sound Pilot, a rewarding role that is met with constant challenge, variety and satisfaction in fulfilling a very important role in protecting the waters that we all love, share and enjoy.
More about Peter:
Peter Mann grew up on Bainbridge Island and attended PMYC’s junior sailing camp for many years. He graduated from Bainbridge High School in 2005 and sailed all four years on the Spartan Sailing Club team. Three of those years, the team qualified for various National Championships. He then attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY, sailing on the Academy’s intercollegiate dinghy sailing team, along with a plethora of other vessels, both sail and power.
After graduating from Kings Point in 2009, Peter went to work for Crowley Maritime initially in their Western Alaska division, delivering various fuel products to remote coastal communities in western Alaska and the Arctic. He then transferred to Crowley’s Articulated Tug-Barge (ATB) fleet, sailing there for the next nine years, including the final five as Master. He ran these vessels delivering various oil products up and down the West Coast and U.S. Gulf Coast. In 2020, Peter left Crowley to enter the vigorous pilot training program for Puget Sound. Licensed in 2022 as Pilot #218, he continues to work as an active Puget Sound Pilot.
Peter and his wife Katie continue to live on Bainbridge Island and sail/cruise their Alajuela 38 Leukothea.
