Captain Pete Ciaramitaro joins me on the show to talk through what may well be a 50-year career working all across our river systems by the end of next year. Joining Southern Towing in 1976, he climbed the ladder to the wheelhouse in a short time. In this episode, we hear about his development as a river pilot with a stepfather in the wheelhouse, becoming a licensed pilot at 21 years old, his early years in the industry, time spent running passenger vessels, and an honor of his life, running Captain on the M/V MISSISSIPPI, the largest diesel towboat ever built, for the Corps of Engineers. We hear also about some old friends of his, his time as a port captain, a lifetime of memories, and a twist of fate.Please check out our episode sponsor: Southern Devallhttps://www.southerndevall.com/https://www.southerndevall.com/About/https://www.southerndevall.com/Careers/

Captain Pete Ciaramitaro joins me on the show this week to talk through the storied career of a true river man. Nearing retirement and leaving behind quite a legacy, Captain Pete seems content with the well-spent career of his out there on the water.

Retired Captain Sam Schropp joins me again from his balcony in Costa Rica. We cover the growth and development of the industry that defined his professional life for 50 years, Ike Sullivan, tank barges, the grain and coal export markets, and more...We'll do it again sometime.

This conversation kicked off discussing the Grateful Dead, politics, culture, and the realities of the day. Here, Capt. Schropp shares his thoughts on current conditions of the United States. Full episode focused on industry history and development will follow tomorrow at 18:00 CST.

In this episode, we talk philosophy, American history past and present, "The Bear" by Faulkner, slavery and its impact on the development of the towing industry in the United States, race, the underclass, the Indian Wars, keel boats and the evolution of industry.Among other things, we also cover human cognition, life and death, Christianity, social media, the news, and politics. Enjoy the ride.

We hear more about the industry from Captain Greer again. In this one, we cover the Inland Waterways Commission, Federal Barge Line, the development of industry in wartime, the Herman Pott Collection at the St. Louis Mercantile Library, the good old days, barge designs, and executive management in the business today.We hear also about the navigational challenges below Baton Rouge, the late Captain Simpson Kemp, the M/V SEMINOLE WARRIOR, Mac Hester, the Shirahs, and his brief experience working in fleets.Here's to the next one!

Retired Captain David Greer joins me again on the show to share his thoughts and perspective on the industry and his experiences over 4 decades. We discuss a bit on the history of humanity, old mariners, his place in history, books, his life and career, the last episode I published with Captain Sam Schropp, "The Great River" by Boyce Upholt, the Jones act, crew pay back in the day, and more.

Retired Captain Samuel Schropp joins me again on the show - 110 episodes after his first visit a few years back. He retired from the river in 2020, served as an expert witness in legal proceedings as a representative of industry, served his community, and has since moved away to paradise with his wife, dogs, and a cat to enjoy the retired life away from the chaos of the mainland. He recounts briefly his career (see episode 54!), and we dive into a bit of history that may well have gone unrecorded if not for this podcast. We banter a bit about the old days and what the industry has become, and we close on his involvement, analysis, and expert opinion in the case of the ill-fated M/V R.C. Creppel. *The opinions expressed herein are those of Captain Schropp alone and are in the public record at the time of this recording.*

Captain Sam Schropp joins me again on the show tomorrow night. It's been 2 years and over a hundred episodes since our last visit. Among other things, we discuss 50 years of history out there between the levees.

Captain Kevin Ferezan joins me on the show for a quick visit to chat through early life in New Orleans, a move to Corpus Christi, Tx post-Katrina, and an attraction to the maritime world that has grown into a career over a few short years.

Director of Maritime Education and Training for the Seamen's Church Institute's Center for Maritime Education, Capt. Stephen Polk joins me on the show to discuss life growing up in the Houston area, adventures into the maritime world in civilian and military functions spurred by his maritime studies at Texas A&M Galveston, and a long journey with the Seamen's Church Institute that continues through today.Check out our episode sponsor:https://seamenschurch.org/

From down da bayou in Dulac, Louisiana to frigid Indiana, Selena found a new home in the industry with ADM/Artco. A graduate of the Nicholls St. Maritime program, she found herself interning in St. Louis across a few of Artco's business units and is now Landside Operations Manager for them in Mt. Vernon. She is active in an array of industry organizations including WiMOS and the local Propeller Club. The sky's the limit, it seems.

Selena shares a bit about the podcast to preview this week's episode.

Coming out of a Summer break, Captain Rusty Ball joins me on the show to talk through a life lived on the water. Since the mid-60s boarding boats with his father as a young child through today, Captain Ball learned a great deal and made a life out there working for many companies over the years, but most notably, he is proud of his time spent developing safety programs for the industry. Down but not out, Captain Ball hopes to be back behind the sticks one day soon.

Preview clip for the Tuesday, July 15th release premiering at 18:00 CST.

Leadman Cole Bizwell runs up and downriver on the M/V JOHN D ROBERTS with Ingram Barge. He's five generations deep in the industry, and his family ran a company some out there may remember. We discuss his childhood and the upbringing that brought him into aviation, and his fateful decision to pursue a career on the water. He's been out here for about three years now, and it looks like many will follow.

Jonathan Jackson, a crane supervisor for Associated Terminals, joins me on the show to talk through his early life in the Greater New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas as well as his journey into the industry with a short stint working for a contractor at AEP's Convent Wash Dock that led him to Associated Terminals first on deck, then running cranes, and now into Operations Management. It's a great chat with a local that may develop into something new for my YouTube Channel.

"Big Dave" joins us back on the show to reminisce about careers and past associations he and Charlie survived together. Sounds yet again like these guys had a pretty good time in life. I'm not much needed here, but surely enjoyed it.

For the new Kulage and Friends series I'll be producing on my channel, Charlie and I get caught up on last week's release and banter a bit waiting on his old friend and partner in crime, Captain David Raines...

To learn more about Captain Raines, please check out his full-length episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Hq87XJZc2nkG2cRuBVCp6?si=ikeQ6rlsT4iFur1d3g0MYA

And to learn more about Charlie, we'll have almost 18 hours published here before long with more to come, so grab a favorite beverage and a favorite snack. Join us.

Charlie joins me again after six long months. He chronicles at length his journey into Recovery that continues through today in sober living and daily attendance in groups. This one's just over 3 hours long, and I'd ask that you watch and listen start to finish in as many sessions as may be necessary. For the next episode in two weeks, Capt. David Raines (Ep. 95 - https://youtu.be/id0DIkZ1eZ4?si=OCdCEqPsK6DJITFN) joins Charlie and me to get caught up on old times. I'm not much needed for that one!