The Columbia River Bar is considered by professional mariners to be the most dangerous bar crossing on the planet. The Pilot Boat Peacock was built in 1964 based on a German North Sea rescue boat design. Put into service on the Columbia River in 1967, this special boat enabled the bar pilots to work in all but the most extreme weather. During her 33 years of hard service, she ferried bar pilots to and from more than 120,000 commercial ships. Bar Pilot Captain Thron Riggs said, "No single vessel has had a more profound impact on the economy of the Columbia River basin than the Pilot Boat Peacock."