Pilot Boarding at Sea near San Francisco

Boarding a vessel at sea can be dangerous. By following simple rules, it can be done safely. This safety video shows you how to leave the launch boat and climb the ladder when boarding vessels at sea safely as well as boarding preparations, safety precautions and boarding under special conditions. The 3 types of boarding arrangements for pilot are also explained. Watch with sound on. Transfers are normally safe when everyone takes all the precautions. If you think it is unsafe, remember to...

A collection of action from the St Johns Bar Pilot Association In the early 1800′s as the commercial ports along the St Johns River began to develop, a select group of brave and skilled seafarers would row to sea to meet arriving cargo sailing ships. These daring individuals would use their extensive local knowledge to safely guide the sailing ships across the treacherous sand bars that guarded the river entrance. This was the origin of the St. Johns Bar Pilots. Initially it was a bit of a...

Impressive to see how the Cork Pilot boat ‘Fáilte’ draws parallel to the bow of the moving Brittany Ferries ferry ‘Pont-Aven’, as it departs Cork harbour on a warm sunny afternoon, on Saturday, October 3rd, 2020. Cork harbour is a beautiful place, with plenty of stunning views to enjoy, while departing for the open sea, enroute to Roscoff, France. This particular sailing was very enjoyable, though quiet, due to coping with the Corona virus, which was managed excellently onboard. The ‘Pont-...

IMPA has published examples of best practice together with a letter from Capt. Simon Pelletier, President of IMPA.

In early December, just as I was starting to get into ship spotting, I saw a couple of vessels headed up river towards Philly. One of them, the Cielo di Iyo met with the harbor pilot right as I had my drone up. I was able to capture the Pilot coming to meet the vessel and CLIMBING the ladder to get on board just before she passed beneath the Walt Whitman Bridge.

Let's change our perspective and see how the team sets up an accommodation ladder.

USAID, through its Economic Resilience Activity (ERA), delivered a second pilot boat "Lotsman Bolotin" to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) to improve the efficiency and safety of pilots moving to and from vessels navigating the Danube ports.

The Summer Edition of the Board of Pilotage Commissioners has published the latest edition of their quarterly report "The BPC Pilotage Quarterly"