Capt. Josh Sanford, Marquette Transportation Company

Growing up in Harahan, La., Capt. Josh Sanford was always aware of the river and the boats on it.

He remembers riding the steamboat Nachez and also going down to the riverwalk in New Orleans, watching a boat flanking Algiers Point, hanging back from his friends to see if it would make the turn while they were urging him to come on with them. Sanford didn’t initially think about one day piloting a boat himself, though. The men in his family mainly worked in the trades, including in roofing, siding and plumbing, so he started out along the same path, working in construction.

It didn’t take long until Sanford wanted more, though, including opportunities for better compensation and benefits.

On his 25th birthday, in 2010, he went to work for Marquette Transportation. Now, 16 years later, at the age of 40, Sanford is the high captain of the mv. Kendall Chauvin, an 8,000 hp. lineboat. His river career is one of the best choices he made, he said. He even brought his older brother, Joey, into the business, and he is now also a Marquette captain.

“I just kind of sold him on it,” Sanford said. “I told him, ‘Man, you need to come out there. The benefits are good, and all this is cool.’”

Joey has also made a name for himself, he said with pride, serving as captain of Marquette’s mv. Marquette Legends.

From his first days as a deckhand, Sanford knew his eventual destination should be the wheelhouse, and he was eager to get there. After serving as a deckhand trainee his first hitch, on the mv. Loree Eckstein (now the Marquette Mariner), he moved up to deckhand. The crew on the Mary Kay Eckstein asked him to be a regular, and it didn’t take long for him to be senior deckhand and then lead man. About a year later, when the relief mate left, Sanford was offered and accepted his position.

Sanford took classes at Lafourche Merchant Marine to get his steersman’s license in between hitches, wanting to make sure that when an opportunity arose to go to the wheelhouse that he was ready for it. After serving as the mate of the Mary Kay Eckstein, the captain recommended him as a candidate for Marquette’s steersman program, which he began in February 2013.

“They paid me to train, which I am forever grateful for,” Sanford said.

The help Marquette provided along the way was invaluable, he said. In November 2015, Sanford went to the Jeffrey G (now the Kendall Chauvin) as a pilot and was asked to work on the vessel regularly, which he did for about three years. Over time, he had the opportunity to become a relief captain. Since July 2021, he has been the high captain.

“I’m a guy who started out at a young age knowing what I wanted,” Sanford said. “I wanted to do something more with my life. Marquette kept giving me opportunities as long as I was doing my job.”

Sanford said he enjoys the camaraderie of working with the crew and strives to create a family atmosphere on his boat.

“I want to take care of them,” he said. “They take care of me.”

He also enjoys that when he is off work, he can devote full time to his family. He and his wife, Jessica, started dating soon after Sanford got his steersman’s license, and they are now married with a daughter, Lily, 11, and twin 8-year-old boys, Blaine and Brayden.

“I am happy,” Sanford said. “I really have no complaints. I’m blessed, and I’m happy. I’ve worked my butt off to get where I’m at, and I’m grateful for what I have.”

Sanford said he hopes to have many more years on the river, and he looks forward to helping to train the next generation of mariners. He said he likes to encourage those who are considering moving up in the ranks and helping them learn the next steps to advance their careers.

One of those young mariners may one day be his son Blaine, who tells everyone who will listen that when he grows up, he wants to be a captain on the river “like my Daddy.”