Captain Joe served in the US Coast Guard on active duty for 34 years, commanding a series of six ships, the last one being an icebreaker. He was Chief of Operations for the 13th Coast Guard District in the Pacific Northwest, which included oversight of all aids to navigation. His last assignment was Chief of Ice Operations in the Arctic, Antarctic, and the American Great Lakes.

After he retired, Captain Joe went on to obtain a master's degree in Polar Studies from the University of Cambridge and managed the construction of the Shackleton Memorial Library. He currently serves as the president of the board of the Keepers of Point Robinson Lighthouse on Vashon Island in Washington State. He is also the Director of the Washington Poison Center. Captain Joe has a weekly radio show on the Voice of Vashon called " ...