Name: Sonja Lund
Job: Captain, Mercury Sightseeing Boats
Years: 6
Q. How did you get started working on boats?
A. I started as a deck hand. After working and getting some experience and getting trained, I ended up as a first mate. From there, I worked up to being a captain.
Q. What kind of training do you need to be a boat captain?
A. I have a master’s license from the United States Coast Guard, which allows me to drive vessels up to 100 tons in the Great Lakes or inland waters. You have to take a pretty difficult series of four exams. Once you pass the test, they give you a license. There’s no driving, it’s all written, but you need to have a certain amount of sea time, and that’s what I got from working on the boat.
Q. When did you first drive a boat yourself?
A. The first time was my first season here, I took the wheel while the captain was in the restroom. After that I convinced them to let me do more, like make turns, with them behind me. My first drive on my own was June of 2000. Before I was released on my own, I had driven and worked with captains for weeks to make sure I knew what I was doing.
Q. What’s the most exciting boat ride you’ve driven?
A. We had this boat built in 1999. It was built in Florida. I went with the owner of the company and other crew members to drive it back. We drove all the way up from Florida non-stop. I thought it was a lot of fun. It’s 2 o’clock in the morning, you’re looking for barges and alligators in the river.
Q. What’s the biggest challenge of your job?
A. Dealing with the stress of being responsible for your boat and everyone on your boat. Making sure everyone’s safe all the time. Negotiating all the recreational boats and commercial boats around you as well as your own boat and your passengers.
Q. Have you ever run into another boat?
A. I’ve never had an accident on the boat. There are some situations that get hairy where you wonder what is that guy thinking. All you can do is keep your boat under control and if they don’t know what they’re doing, let them get out of the way. If you’re watching and assessing the whole time, you’re going to anticipate a close call before it happens.
Q. What’s your schedule like?
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A. We run from May through October. Primarily, I drive architecture tours during the day. I drive private tours at night — weddings, business functions, sightseeing rides.
Q. What do you do during the off-season?
A. When we’re not doing boat rides, there’s constant maintenance to do on the boat. We paint it, we sand it down. There’s engine work to do. We work on the boats all winter. We don’t have a boat slip, so it’s all outdoor work.
Q. What do you like most about the job?
A. Everything is always different. You can do 100 tours a year, and every tour is different, because there’s always something going on. Like today, we had the barge on the South Branch. There’s new things every day.
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For information of the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s river tours, call 312-922-TOUR. For information on Mercury Sightseeing Boat cruises, call 312-332-1353.