History: Red Pilots Guide Ships In Suez Canal (1956)

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.

Gabon, Baie du Prince, 2012.
Getting that nice fat lady alongside

“The current plight many seafarers are facing, unable to crew change or return home, is being described by many voices within the maritime community as the next humanitarian crisis.”

To monitor the vessel’s progress, the pilot had set up his portable pilotage unit (PPU). He had connected the rate-of-turn generator to the vessel’s pilot plug and had set a variable range marker on the radar with a radius of 0.5 nm.

Genova – Il gigantismo navale? Ha creato una nuova e complessa procedura per accogliere le nuove navi a Genova, ma di fatto ha ridotto le accostate e quindi il numero di pilotaggi, richiedendo un costante aggiornamento e la messa a punto, di volta in volta, di nuove manovre studiate prima a tavolino dai servizi tecnico nautici del porto e poi provate almeno una volta da tutti i piloti prima di diventare prassi consolidata. La nuova diga, inoltre, sta dando e darà ulteriore lavoro cambiando l'attività dei Piloti del Porto di Genova.

Great film about sailing on Kiel Canal (NOK) in Germany.

The Port of Cork company has ordered a new pilot vessel from boat builders, Safehaven Marine based in Youghal.

The Pacific Guardian pilot boat is first seen in Victoria Harbour near Ogden Point before making her way to Point Hope Maritime Shipyard for a full refit. This video captures the entire move process, from the cradle lowering into the harbour, to the careful docking of the vessel, to her move across the turntable and onto the spur line. Some of the footage has been sped up, since the cradle lowering and lifting are slow, deliberate operations where every movement is checked and rechecked....