The first volume of Pilots concentrated on the stories of American and British schooners. Volume 2 enters what for many will be a less familiar world... that of the remarkable pilot brigs and small undecked craft. Schooners range from the Hiates of Portugal to the beautiful station boats of the North Sea ports of Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The development of the schooners themselves into such highly sophisticated craft is traced from regional predecessors. Volume 2 of Pilots is not just about boats — the sailors also have their role. The book follows highly difficult manoeuvres under sail, dangerous transfers at sea, the routine of everyday life, and the perils of heavy weather including ships wrecked and lives saved. All aspects of a spectacular and previously unpublished maritime tradition are considered, not forgetting the competitions between pilots to be the best crews.
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Article IMPA is hosting examples of best practice and protocols during Covid-19 times
by IMPA - International Maritime Pilots’ Association - published on 26 March 2020
Article St Johns Bar Pilots Order New Launch from Gladding-Hearn
published on 1 March 2023
Article Offers of used Pilot Boats welcome
by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 8 March 2020
Video Carnival Luminosa - Cruise ship - pilot boat for the port of Cairns
published on 11 February 2025
Video Pilot Boat STEINBURG at Brunsbuttel, Kiel Canal Passage
published on 17 January 2022
Video Wind pure drift encounter - practical experiments for getting useful data
published on 8 July 2022
How to get information for wind & current limits to be potentially encountered by thrusters – or current? - this will be described in this movie:
- Measure Drift speed, due to beam wind with no propulsion;
- Measure drift speed using full thrusters
- Estimate wind & current limits to be potentially encountered by thrusters – or current...
- Finally there is a simple formula as Rule of Thumb: the transverse drift speed is about 7-8% of wind speed!