BY MATT LARSON
A career with the ferry system in the Bay Area is attainable for anyone willing to put in the work. As we’ve learned in a number of profiles written in this space over the last few years, with enough determination and patience, a career change into working on the waterways is well within reach.
Laura Castillo-Enriquez is a good example. She was working in light construction: remodeling houses, painting, even performing electrical and plumbing tasks. But it wasn’t consistent work and she wanted something new.
Her friend Juan has been a deckhand for six years, and suggested she come on board. “He said, ‘You love the beach so much! Work with us and you can be on the water all the time.’ So, I ended up doing it,” Castillo-Enriquez said.
“In the beginning I thought it wasn’t going to work,” she said. “There were times I’d come home and see my dad and say, ‘I’m not doing this dad, there’s no work today.’”
But persistence and seniority paid off. Every morning Castillo-Enriquez would head to the Inlandboatmen’s Union, or “the hall,” in hopes of getting a job. “In the beginning it was like two weeks dry,” she said. “So I’d have to hit my old job.”
Fortunately, she had plenty of support from her family. Her friend Juan had told her that getting assigned to deckhand jobs could be challenging at the beginning. So she kept going to the hall and eventually worked her way into the system.
“My parents and Juan were big on not giving up,” Castillo-Enriquez said. “But now I’m happy. I’m on a lot of boats these days. Eventually I want to become a captain.”
Castillo-Enriquez has been a deckhand now for about eight months. On her way to work she’s always looking forward to seeing her coworkers, especially on early shifts as she likes to make her presence known.
“When I work in the mornings, I’m pretty loud, so I’m yelling ‘Good morning, guys!’ across the dock and they’re like, ‘Oh, Laura’s working today,’” she said.
Castillo-Enriquez enjoys getting to meet tourists from all over the country and all over the world when she’s working on board. She used to frequent the beach quite a bit, often trekking down to Half Moon Bay, but now that she’s out on the Bay for a living she’s found herself much less inclined to visit the beach. “It’s a cool job,” she said. “I get to work on the water every day, see the sunsets at night and sunrises in the morning.”
Hailing from Hayward, Castillo-Enriquez often spends her free time with family. She still works with her dad and brother in law in construction from time to time. Her specialty is the electrical department. “I can rewire, replace bad switches, put up lights, whatever you need,” she said. Her handy skills haven’t come into play much on the ferry boats, but she’s ready to save the day if such an opportunity were to arise.
Having worked as a deckhand for less than a year, Castillo-Enriquez is comfortable at the position and encourages others considering a career change to try it. “It’s gonna be hard in the beginning; you feel like you’re going to the hall for no reason, but even if you go for that four-hour job—it adds up,” she said. “Just don’t stop going.”
That was her plan, and now Castillo-Enriquez can be found working all over the Bay’s waterways. One of her first jobs was with Golden Gate, where she learned quite a bit. We met her on the Vallejo run with Blue & Gold Fleet. If her encouragement has inspired you, follow up with the Maritime Institute to see if becoming a mariner is a good fit.
Working on the water is great and all, but Castillo-Enriquez reminds us that it’s especially great as a passenger. “You don’t have to worry about parking, or worry about the toll,” she said. “Just jump on the ferry and have a good time; don’t worry, be happy!”
