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Crossing the Bar: The Adventures of a San Francisco Bay Bar Pilot (Paul Lobo)

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Crossing the Bar: The Adventures of a San Francisco Bay Bar Pilot (Paul Lobo)
There is nothing placid about San Francisco Bay. Its raucous waters have hosted brutal storms, daring rescues, horrendous accidents, and countless hours of drama and tension. Captain Paul Lobo knows that better than most people. As a federally and state licensed ship pilot of unlimited tonnage for those treacherous waters, Captain Lobo piloted nearly 6,500 ships in a thirty-one year career--everything from mega-yachts, to the USS Enterprise, to TV's Love Boat. Each trip tells its own story, and the Cap'n shares many sea stories,all true. Readers will find gripping, tense adventure stories, all well told.

Reading Crossing the Bar is like being on the rolling bridge with Captain Lobo. Here are tragic deaths and lives saved, inspiring rescues, devastating storms, and the infamous and horrendous oil spill after the Cosco Busan rammed the Oakland Bay Bridge--resulting in the first known imprisonment of a maritime pilot for making an error.

Readers will also find a December sea rescue Captain Lobo was involved during a winter storm with hurricane strength winds and monstrous seas.Without Captain Lobo, two other pilots and the pilot boat crew and their supreme effort, the ship they saved would have foundered on California's Marin County rocky coast line with the loss of all hands. A must read for mariners and armchair mariners alike.
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Article What is a Maritime Pilot? From "Crossing the Bar, The Adventures of a San Francisco Bay Bar Pilot" by Captain Paul Lobo

by Capt. Paul Lobo - published on 22 September 2020

Chapter 3 from the book "Crossing the Bar, The Adventures of a San Francisco Bay Bar Pilot" by Captain Paul Lobo, available on Amazon (link below)

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Opinion The valet parker for ships

by Bianca Reineke - published on 14 November 2020

Review of Capt. Paul Lobo's book "Crossing the bar". The valet parker for ships: More than 30 years of being a Pilot. Book Review by Bianca Reineke, Germany

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Opinion Book review: Practical Ship Handling, Fourth Edition, by Malcolm C. Armstrong

by Kevin Vallance deep sea pilot and author - published on 5 June 2020

Some ship handlers today use electronic instruments from start to finish and these ships usually have powerful engines and thrusters and an almost unlimited number of personnel on the bridge.

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Video Pilot bording in Norway, Hammerfest, Ile de Batz

published on 21 June 2021

Editor's note: The pilot boarding seems a bit improvised and unsafe to me, but that's certainly business as usual, isn't it?

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Video Pilot Transfers & Dolphins Stealing the Show! Port of Tyne Action

published on 30 May 2025

Join me for a busy day on the pilot boat at the Port of Tyne as we guide ships in and out of the river – with a surprise visit from a pod of dolphins putting on an incredible show! From fast-paced pilot transfers to unexpected wildlife moments, this one’s got it all. 📍 Filmed on the River Tyne 🚢 Real-life pilot boat action 🐬 Dolphins playing Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more behind-the-scenes footage from life at sea! #jfktwo #portoftyne #portoftyne #shipspotting...

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Video Maritime Pilots' Institute

published on 4 July 2019

The Maritime Pilots Institute is the premier training facility for River Pilots employing a mix of virtual and real world facilities. Located in Covington Louisiana, we are 45 minutes from downtown New Orleans while offering the safety and amenities of small town life.
The training presents a balance between simulated locations with a variety of environmental conditions and manned scale models of cargo ships in a series of lakes with docking and currents and live factors such as wind and...

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Video EfficientFlow - SEAiq Pilot Introduction

published on 26 August 2020

Showing the new EfficientFlow functions for the SEAiq PPU, to be used by pilots and ferry personnel in the Baltic Sea

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Video Pilot Boat "Petrel" (River Mersey)

published on 16 December 2021

River Mersey Pilot Boat going slowly inbound on the river before turning and heading northbound again.

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Video Pilots gets off Huron Belle Pilot boat and climbs aboard CSL Assiniboine - 08.04.19

published on 25 February 2020

"This is a Lakes Pilot hopping off the Huron Belle Pilot boat after we've pulled alongside the CSL Assiniboine on the Detroit River just above the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, MI
He walks along the side of the Pilot boat, holding onto the railing and then after the gangway from the ship is lowered into position, he steps up and pulls himself up to then begin walking up the gangway to the deck where he is greeted by the crew.
We then see one of the crew from the Pilot boat tieing up the...

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Article Three new pilot boats for Flinders Ports (Australia)

by Baird Maritime - published on 1 November 2023

South Australian port operator Flinders Ports (FP) has entered into an agreement to purchase three new pilot vessels over the next three years from Melbourne-based boatbuilder Hart Marine.

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