Photo: Sandy Hook Pilots.

Sandy Hook harbor pilots guide merchant ships in and out of New York harbor, all year round, day and night, in all weather. They are highly skilled professionals who routinely make a very difficult job look easy. It easy to forget that their job is also extremely dangerous.

Early Monday morning, harbor pilot Captain Dennis R. Sherwood fell while attempting to board an inbound container ship and subsequently died of his injuries. Captain Sherwood, of Freehold, N.J., was climbing an accommodation ladder to board the U.S.-flagged Maersk Kensington at the Ambrose Light pilot station outside the harbor approaches at 4:30 a.m., Coast Guard officials said.

In a statement, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association said Sherwood had more than 35 years of experience guiding vessels in and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey.

“Captain Sherwood is survived by his wife Marianne Sherwood, daughter Kelly Sherwood (son-in-law Robert McBriar), son Dennis Sherwood (son-in-law Paul Caruso), son William Sherwood and daughter Alexis Sherwood,” according to the association.