"Ship's Pilot" - A poem by Gaylen K. Bunker

A wonderful poem by Gaylen K. Bunker found on YouTube. As read by the author from bis book "Poems".

The Port Pilot, by Richard Blanco. In _Looking for The Gulf Motel_, 2012, University of Pittsburgh Press.

The Ship Voyage - Poem - By_ Khan
www.Marine-Pilots.com

Marine pilots must make crucial decisions under extreme conditions. Transferring from a cargo ship to a small pilot boat in hurricane-force gusts can be fatal. For marine pilots, this is the most dangerous moment in their daily working lives: climbing down a rope ladder from a cargo ship in gale-force gusts, and transferring to a small pilot boat. In mid-January, a pilot fell into the sea off Borkum and was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia. Just a few days earlier, a British...

The fascinating tale told by Roger Francis about his life at sea and ultimately as a Deep Sea Pilot. The explanation in detail of the terrific responsibilities comes with tales of daring-do, near misses and other peoples' disasters. Roger's personal tale takes him from kiddy to cadet and from 3rd Mate to Master before he became a Deep Sea Pilot guiding shipping on the busiest shipping thoroughfare in the world - the Dover Straits. On top of this, there is love interest and action in war...

by Kenya Citizen TV

The pilots make docking mega-ships look easy despite the meteorological disturbance.
Great pictures from Morocco

It remains a sad fact that accidents and near misses continue to occur during pilot transfers with frightening regularity. Most of these fortunately do not result in injury, and a surprisingly high number of them are not even recognised for what they are.

Surveys into pilot ladder safety consistently reveal that unacceptably high numbers of pilot transfer arrangements are not compliant with the regulations.

The Master and pilot are dependant on each other for a safe and successful beginning or end of a voyage. They are both operating in a foreign environment.