How do large ships traverse a narrow waterway? What does the Pilot look at? How do you do it? I am occasionally asked these types of questions. The answer is simple, you need about 10 years of practice on this tiny waterway and a complete understanding of hydrodynamic interactions… and then you’ll know.
For two years, I sketched the various legs of Wrangell Narrows, practicing drawings to decide which renderings worked and which did not. After two years of pondering 
various styles of drawings, I began creating the renderings that have been made into images in my book, Wrangell Narrows at a Glance. The original drawings were drawn on a larger scale and required another year to produce the 51 drawings. The manuscript and research took an extra three years. In the end, the product is a professional book that I hope will stand the test of time.
My 45 years of seatime did not begin in Alaska or Wrangell Narrows, but in Florida and the Caribbean. I patrolled many years in the Northern and Southern Caribbean, sailed the Antarctic and Arctic, and covered every ocean in between. I spent nearly 15 years in the Alaska fishing industry, and the Bering Sea and Research vessels around the world occupied roughly another five years. Today, I am a captain for a cruise ship company.
I was raised in Europe, the Southern United States, and lived in two commonwealths in the Caribbean. In my spare time (ha!), I enjoy family, art, building classic mustangs, and competitive swimming in the US Masters.
Lou
Master Of Oceans, Unlimited
Alaska and her countless maritime dangers... 