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 All aspects of a spectacular and previously unpublished maritime tradition are considered, not forgetting the competitions between pilots to be the best crews.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 ISPO code and Control Manual (latest edition 1/1/22)
by ISPO - International Standard for Maritime Pilot Organisations - published on 4 January 2022
Video What Happened To The Napoli?
published on 22 October 2021
Video How to get off the ship with Pilot Siri
published on 31 January 2022
Article Turkish Chief officer fell into water checking draft, died, Russia
published on 6 February 2022
Opinion AMPI Position Paper: Ethical use of pilotage data
by Australasian Marine Pilots Institute - published on 31 July 2024
Article Marine Pilots Events
by Frank Diegel - published on 5 July 2021
Video Nighttime departure from Figueira da Foz including VHF radio communication - ship time laps video
published on 9 February 2022
The Dutch coaster Mv. Stroombank is leaving the port of Figueira da Foz in Portugal. Normally operations are restricted to daylight only, but because bad weather was forecasted for the days to come we've received an exemption and were allowed to depart during dark hours. Cargo operations were running close to the departure deadline so we quickly secured the cargo and prepared the vessel for sea. The tide was running out so we used the forward spring to keep position as we went slow astern...
Video The historical Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter - Part 1
published on 1 September 2020
Many consider the Bristol Channel pilot cutter to be the finest sailing boat design ever. Fast, seaworthy and beautiful to behold, the pilot cutter is the perfect combination of form and function - a thoroughbred perfectly adapted to a life in one of the Britain's most treacherous stretches of water. Sailor and writer Tom Cunliffe explores the life of the pilots and sails a perfectly restored cutter to find out just what drove these men and their wonderful machines.
