Marine Pilots are experts in trusting. They simple have to be....

Photo from www.HarbourPilot.es

„In God we trust“ - this short sentence can be found on the one dollar note. Marine Pilots for example are experts in trusting. They simple have to be....

And we often think „In God we trust“is a biblical verse. But it s not a quotation from the word of God. It` s a way to express our faith, our trust and hope in him. And we do not just seek and find trust in a greater power. There is much more to that. Lots of things in our lives are dependent on other people`s ability and professionalism -in which we simply have to trust.
Sometimes I just have to let go, have to be trustful - and put my life in the hands of others.
Not just metaphorically, but in the harsh reality of life and work.

Marine Pilots are experts in their fields, they are needed and their profession ist more important than lots of people know. Shipping and trading wouldn`t be possible without them, that´s a fact.

But we tend to forget how much faith and trust they need to do their jobs: getting from the pilot boat to the vessel is always a dangerous leap.
In the last weeks we sadly had to watch near fatal- and fatal- incidents while doing so.

And as I do not know whether many of them are religious in any way, or if they say their prayers while embarking the vessel, one thing I am sure of: they have to trust other people to be able to do their work.

They have to be sure that the ladder the ship provides for embarking is safe, stable and secure. They have to believe that the quality has been checked and proven. They have to know everything about the tides, the water, the waves and the weather.

Marine Pilots have to think, breathe and live the sentence: in other people we trust.

Even if they do not know them. And in most of the boardings they don`t. So they have to simply trust in other people`s ability and knowledge to do their jobs.
That cannot be easy I guess.

I do trust lots of people, caring for my child, my health, my wellbeing, my salary being paid, my church being heated, my safety belt being secure...And lots of people do trust in me. That is a big responsility I am willing to take. It´s part of my job and my life.

Whether you trust in God or any other higher power to survive, to thrive and to improve is not important. The important thing is that everyone who is involved in doing and supporting a dangerous job, has to take it seriously.
Leaps of faith aren`t easy. They tend to cost a lot of courage, energy - and trust...

Those who are trusted in have to be worth it. Especially when lives depend on them.

As a Marine Pilot you have to trust in the people helping you to embark. In the material of the ladder and in the knowledge of the men handling it.

It is important to remember that these men and women put their lives in the hand of others, so we can live with all the comfort trading via vessels gives us. And that´s a lot.

Believe in something. Whatever it is.


God can be found everywhere. He wants to be found. And he is there in the deep waters as well.

There is no „In God we trust“ quotation in the holy bible, but there is one verse in Psalm 89 concerning the waters. The waters of life and the harsh reality of the oceans where Marine Pilots are working in.

„God. You rule over the surging sea, when its waves mount up, you still them“

In that I trust.

Bianca Reineke, Lutheran Pastor