Marine Pilot

Many consider the Bristol Channel pilot cutter to be the finest sailing boat design ever. Fast, seaworthy and beautiful to behold, the pilot cutter is the perfect combination of form and function - a thoroughbred perfectly adapted to a life in one of the Britain's most treacherous stretches of water. Sailor and writer Tom Cunliffe explores the life of the pilots and sails a perfectly restored cutter to find out just what drove these men and their wonderful machines.

Alabama’s Mobile Bar Pilots has awarded Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding of Somerset, Massachusetts, a contract for a new 53-foot (16-metre) pilot boat.

The United Kingdom Maritime Pilots' Association (UKMPA) has all been inundated with CV19 communications from all manner of sources in the last few weeks. Here is a condensed collection of information from the UKMPA.

SENIOR PILOT CAPTAIN ERTAN OZGUR performing berthing maneuvering of Wagenborg co ship MV LAGANBORG during strong current. She has bowthruster, right handed pitch propeller and becker flap rudder. She has asked to come alongside from her portside. She will be using 1 tugboat. Time lapse. Gopro Max. @captertanozgur

There were some astonishing pictures in the press some weeks ago of a Royal Marine employing a jetpack to launch himself from a RIB to land on the deck of a ship with extraordinary precision. You cannot imagine that it would be a feasible proposition to equip pilots with such a device, but it did cross my mind after reading a horrible catalogue of disgraceful seamanship and poor design exhibited in what ought to be the simple matter of keeping pilots safe as they board and leave ships.

In this breathtaking drone video, we bring you an up-close and personal look at the Pilot Boat Yellow Rose in action. Watch as the skilled crew expertly maneuvers the vessel through the water, guiding large ships safely into port. With our high-quality aerial footage, you'll get a bird's-eye view of the Yellow Rose in action, as she weaves through the waves, making precise turns and executing complicated docking maneuvers. You'll be amazed at the precision and skill of the crew as they work...

SWATH and SWASH are interesting technologies that allow a vessel to sail much more calmly in high waves. A stable and calm position of the ship is especially important for pilot boarding.

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

The Pilot Boat coming back from going out into Lake Erie