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Video How to Launch a Pilot Boat–Behind the Scenes at Point Hope Shipyard
published on 20 June 2025
Welcome to Point Hope Shipyard in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. In this video, I follow the float off of the Pacific Navigator, a hardworking pilot boat that serves the Port of Victoria and Ogden Point. We watch as the vessel is pulled along the marine railway, rotated on the turntable, and positioned onto the cradle. Once secured, the cradle lowers to float-off depth, and the Pacific Navigator fires up her engines for a short harbour spin before returning to duty. Some segments,...
Video You Won’t Believe How A Pilot Boat Is Hauled Out for Refit
published on 24 September 2025
The Pacific Guardian pilot boat is first seen in Victoria Harbour near Ogden Point before making her way to Point Hope Maritime Shipyard for a full refit. This video captures the entire move process, from the cradle lowering into the harbour, to the careful docking of the vessel, to her move across the turntable and onto the spur line. Some of the footage has been sped up, since the cradle lowering and lifting are slow, deliberate operations where every movement is checked and rechecked....
Video Pivot Point Specials 2 - position for ship moving ahead or astern
published on 12 May 2022
Video IALA Port & Waterway Risk Seminar - Chapter on Simulation by Knud Benedict
published on 22 October 2021
Article Origins of the IMPA pilot mark
by Kevin Vallance deep sea pilot and author - published on 24 October 2019
There are many things in both our everyday and professional lives which we take for granted and never question the origins of, an example of this might be the IMPA recommended ‘pilot mark or pilot line’, which is sometimes seen on the side of vessels indicating where a vessels freeboard exceeds 9 metres.
Video Wind drift making headway - practical experiments for voyage planning and Rule of Thumb
published on 7 April 2021
Article Webinar - Port & Pilot supplied ECDIS routes and passage plans
published on 29 January 2021
The Australasian Marine Pilots Institute is presenting a webinar via Zoom about ports providing ECDIS routes and passage plans to ships as part of the pre-arrival process.
It will take place on Thursday 11 February 2021 at 19:00 AEDT (08:00 UTC) and is free for AMPI/IMPA/UKMPA/NZMPA members. Non-members are also welcome to attend.
Video Humber Maritime College Simulator Tour
published on 21 October 2020
Article Sanmar signs US$33.46 million contracts with Pakistan port authority
published on 1 April 2021
Video Falmouth Pilot Cutter Pellew
published on 1 July 2022
Built by Luke Powell and his working Sail Yard in Truro, Cornwall, launched in February 2020. The lines were taken from the Vincent, a Falmouth Pilot cutter built in 1852 for the Vincent family of St Mawes. She worked for 70 years as a pilot boat, finally retiring in 1922 and ending her days as a houseboat on the Percuil River very close to the yard where she had been built. When the idea to build a new pilot cutter of considerable size was born, the lines of Vincent were seen as the...