Look at Life - Pilot Aboard 1963

Many people wonder how ships made it across entire oceans without getting lost in the seventeenth century. Aaron introduces seventeenth century navigation to us today by beginning with piloting.

Look at Life - City of Sailors - Portsmouth - 1965
Portsmouth is no longer the sea-faring city it once was; this film from the Documentary Series "Look At Life" Volume 5 - Cultural Heritage in 1965 looks at its changing face.

Let us start a journey back in time. Back to the black and white films of history. The times have changed, but it is good to know what kind of things have changed and where are the roots of pilotage.

My background Why does a ship need a marine pilot How did we get here b.w.o training and qualification? Background history of Reef Pilots Info on different pilot stations within the Great Barrier Reef Torres Straits with its complex tides Our commute to work - boat & helicopter videos Different types of ships, cargoes and nationalities trading within the Great Barrier Reef Work life onboard.... the good, the bad and the ugly Some trivia and fun facts about mariners’ life at sea

Who knwos Zé Peixe? What makes Zé Peixe a rare species is the way he works: he swims to fetch the ship, while his colleagues use a support boat. And when he takes the ship out of the harbour, instead of returning by boat he jumps into the sea.

This video seems to be slow and boring for non maritime people, but doing the job in a good way needs a lot of experience and knowledge. And it's the very the best job in the world.

Without a shadow of doubt, shipping is a key enabler of our current way of life and the globalized world we live in today. The irony is that the average person is unaware of the significance or contribution of the shipping industry and how much we rely on ships working without disruption

The good old times: 1940. Found on YouTube. Created by "British Pathé" Titles read: "PILOT AHOY! A PATHETONE SPECIAL" New York, United States of America. Good aerial views of dozens of merchant ships entering New York's harbour. Various shots of life aboard a New York pilot cutter. The pilot is rowed out to a merchant ship, goes aboard and then is picked up again. Apprentice pilots on board a training ship scrub the decks, lower a rowing boat over the side and study charts with a senior...

Apparently there were two crew members on board, but no pilot. One of crew was recovered and declared dead, another one, skipper of the boat, is missing.

The IMPA has published on 30th June 2020 a letter about crew exchange in times of corona. Read the letter here: