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 All aspects of a spectacular and previously unpublished maritime tradition are considered, not forgetting the competitions between pilots to be the best crews.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 “Tragedy Strikes as Maritime Pilot Dies in Pilot Transfer Accident”
published on 11 January 2023
Article Container vessel MSC MIA took down crane in Valencia, Spain
by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 13 September 2020
Opinion Pilot transfer arrangements - Sharing knowledge matters – but problems go beyond non-compliance to SOLAS itself
by Kevin Vallance deep sea pilot and author - published on 23 September 2020
Like many seafarers I have long been a keen follower of The Nautical Institute’s MARS programme, and along with many other members I listened to the recent webinar on that topic. One theme which was repeated more than once was that it is better to learn from someone else’s misfortune rather than have it happen to you. Having personally been involved in two near misses resulting from unsafe pilot transfer arrangements in a relatively short space of time, I asked how experiences and knowledge specifically about pilot ladder safety could best be promulgated to avoid repeating common accidents or near misses.
Article Master and Shipping Company Convicted Over Pilot Ladder Failure
published on 4 April 2024
Video AIS track grounding of Shahraz and Samutra Sakhdil in Singapore Strait - May 10 2020
published on 9 September 2020
Grounding container vessel Shahraz and MV Samudra Sakti in Singapore Strait May 10 2020
What happened?
MV "Shahraz" and MV "Samudra Sakti I" had run aground to the shallow Batu Berhanti in the Indonesian territorial waters within 6 minutes, which is surveyed with minimum water depths of 8.3 m in the northern part and up to 0.5 m in the southern part . It is located south of TSS Singapore Strait’s eastbound traffic lane.
A chain of events which must be described as extra ordinary rarity....
Video How the Pilot Disembark using by Helicopter
published on 12 November 2020
Article Investigation of ship maneuvering with hydrodynamic effects between ship and bank
by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 12 July 2021
Video SWATH Pilot Tender "Döse" build by Abeking & Rasmussen (Germany)
published on 17 December 2025
