By Matt Campbell
L
iving on the coast proves time and time again that it is the most desired way to live. People move here from all over the country for many reasons, wanting this intriguing postcard lifestyle. Maybe it’s the adventures of the sea or the relaxation only a nap on the beach can bring that draws so many. Whatever it is, a few of us are blessed to have it in our own backyard and some are fortunate enough to go to work every day and take in all the beauty the coast has to offer. Derek Dragon, a.k.a. “Little D,” is one of these fortunate people. He is not stuck in an office cubicle or behind a store counter. He is a tugboat captain for Crescent Towing of Savannah (a division of Cooper T. Smith) and on the coast is where he makes his living. Derek was brought into the tugboat business by his grandfather Joseph Dragon, father “Big Derek” and uncle Audie, who all began their careers with Crescent Towing in New Orleans more than 35 years ago. Derek’s cousin Ben joined the team in 2003 and he, too, is proud to be in this line of work. The Dragon family followed the company from the Gulf coast to the East coast in 1987, finding their home in Richmond Hill. Standing onboard the company’s rubber-laced boat, Georgia, Derek explains that he didn’t always know he wanted
to work the tugboats. After graduating high school, he left for Snow College in Utah, and then transferred to Valdosta State, which brought him back closer to home. He soon realized that work on the water was the life for him. Derek says, “I probably wouldn’t have ended up in this line of work had it not been for my grandfather passing it down to my father and uncle and them passing it down to me.” He began on the relief list as a call-out deck hand at 21 years of age, always comfortable with the fact that if he had a question, there was plenty of experience there to help him get the answer. While most people his age were barely spreading their wings and attending college, he was already adjusting to a new career and time away from family and friends and focusing on the many important responsibilities assigned to him. The time away from home was the necessary price to 51
PAIGE!GLAZER
A Career on the Coast
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People & Places A Nautical Tradition