A.J. Cantrelle was born in Cutoff in 1937 and began working in the oilpatch in 1952. He got his first Captain’s assignment working for Griffin Towing before being hired as Captain by Galliano Tugs. He worked there until 1965, when he joined Robin Tours Corp. A.J. was injured in October 1985 while working for Gulf Fleet Marine and left offshore work, taking up teaching at Houston Marine in 1987.