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 All aspects of a spectacular and previously unpublished maritime tradition are considered, not forgetting the competitions between pilots to be the best crews.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 Pilot Secures Arrest of Chinese Cargo Ship Following Career-Ending Gangway Collapse
published on 15 March 2024
Video Oil Tanker Safety: Tug Escorts, Marine Pilots, and Partnership with Scia’new First Nation
published on 26 May 2026
Alberta's government is proposing to partner with Indigenous communities to build a new West Coast oil export project. In B.C. waters, oil tanker spill prevention depends on locally operated escort tugboats and expert local marine pilots, who safely guide tankers in and out of port. On the southern tip of Vancouver Island, escort tugboats are operated in partnership with the Scia’new First Nation in the community’s territorial waters.