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 All aspects of a spectacular and previously unpublished maritime tradition are considered, not forgetting the competitions between pilots to be the best crews.
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Video Learn more about MITAGS
published on 15 November 2019
Video Bermuda pilot boat with NCL Escape
published on 6 December 2022
Video What really happened at the Suez Canal?
published on 5 July 2021
Video Charting EMSA’s course for the next 20 years (day 1)
published on 17 June 2022
Video A Journey on Kiel Canal, Germany
published on 25 September 2022
Video How Stabilisers Reduce A Ship's Roll
published on 4 July 2019
Opinion Human behaviour: the final frontier in efficiency and operational performance management
by Melvin Mathews - published on 23 November 2020
Opinion Leadership in Pilotage: Strategic Command and Navigational Mastery
by Maritime Pilot Abolfazl Farajnezam - published on 11 February 2025
Among the few marine professions that purse a man's technical skills and value very high, maritime piloting perhaps is in a class of its own. In this career, the pilot is entrusted to maneuver vessels through some of the most challenging and congested waterways while ensuring seamless integration between shipboard operations and port infrastructure.
