COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL
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© Copyright 2022 Coast River Business Journal
FEATURE STORY
MARCH 2022 • 3
A calming force
guides the
river’s ships
Steerman is fi rst
woman dispatcher for
Columbia River Bar Pilots
By ABBEY McDONALD
Coast River Business Journal
When Sam Steerman picks up the dispatcher
radio, her voice shifts into the casual authority of
an airline pilot making an overhead announcement.
“Yes, the helicopter will be with you shortly.
Again, there’s nothing you need to do,” she said into
the radio, eyes on the ship visible from her window
at the Columbia River Bar Pilots9 oû ce in Astoria.
<Roger,= the captain9s static-muÿ ed voice
replied.
As soon as she hangs up, she watches as a bright
yellow helicopter swoops in to do a training exer-
cise, a man dangling on ropes underneath it.
In the dispatch oû ce, among numerous photo-
graphs of men and ships — and men on ships —
lining the walls, Steerman’s personal touches stand
out. Her dyed red hair practically glows, even in
overcast weather. A travel mug with Siouxsie and
the Banshees, an inû uential British rock band, sits
on the desk next to her computer.
<I9m deû nitely not a typical person for this
See Page 4
Sam Steerman stands in the Columbia River
Bar Pilots dispatch offi ce in Astoria.
LYDIA ELY/THE ASTORIAN