History: Lightship (1950)

Many people wonder how ships made it across entire oceans without getting lost in the seventeenth century. Aaron introduces seventeenth century navigation to us today by beginning with piloting.

Look at Life - City of Sailors - Portsmouth - 1965
Portsmouth is no longer the sea-faring city it once was; this film from the Documentary Series "Look At Life" Volume 5 - Cultural Heritage in 1965 looks at its changing face.

Let us start a journey back in time. Back to the black and white films of history. The times have changed, but it is good to know what kind of things have changed and where are the roots of pilotage.

Genova – Il gigantismo navale? Ha creato una nuova e complessa procedura per accogliere le nuove navi a Genova, ma di fatto ha ridotto le accostate e quindi il numero di pilotaggi, richiedendo un costante aggiornamento e la messa a punto, di volta in volta, di nuove manovre studiate prima a tavolino dai servizi tecnico nautici del porto e poi provate almeno una volta da tutti i piloti prima di diventare prassi consolidata. La nuova diga, inoltre, sta dando e darà ulteriore lavoro cambiando l'attività dei Piloti del Porto di Genova.

Amid the breathtaking beauty of Tampa Bay, there is a constant current of change for the Tampa Bay harbor pilots. In an ocean that can turn from peaceful to perilous, the pilots are required to have a calm voice and a steady hand.
“You really do have to know how to work under pressure. You’ve got to be quick on your feet. You’ve got to be on point all the time,” pilot Tevin Freeman said.
Read more: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/tampa-bay-pilots-ships-skyway-...

This what a normal work day looks like for a port pilot.
A 24 hour shift shown in 11 minutes.
Recorded in Santa Marta, Colombia.

Image film

Ladders are the bridges for crossing the rough seas of our lives.
When you are a Marine Pilot at work, hoping and praying that the ladders which let you embark the vessel are stable, safe and not dangerous.
In Memoriam of the late Captain Dennis Sherwood who passed away on Monday the 30th of December.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation, has taken an order from the St. Johns Bar Pilots for a high-speed launch, based on the successful 40’ Resilient Class pilot boat introduced in 2005. Delivery to the Florida-based pilots is scheduled for mid-2024.

Dali Timeline What's Going on With Shipping? March 29, 2024 In this episode - maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner - discusses the timeline released by the NTSB from the Dali's Vessel Data Recorder and lays out some of the questions, issues that have been raised, and questions that need to be answered. #dali #baltimorebridge #baltimore #shipping #brdigecollapse #supplychain #containerships #containerships Support What's Going on With...