Swash@A&R "Explorer"

At the A&R shipyard in Germany, the successful principle of SWATH boats was further developed in 2013: The SWASH principle allows sea-going, smaller and more economical boats.

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.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuildiing, Duclos Corporation, has taken an order for a rigid-bottom, soft-sided pilot boat from the Lake Pilots. The Resilient class high-speed launch is the Michigan pilots’ third boat built by the Somerset-Mass. Shipyard since 1979.

Safehaven Marine based in Ireland have just delivered a pilot vessel for operations at the Port of Berbera in
Somaliland, Africa. ‘Sanaag’ is one of Safehaven’s Interceptor 38 pilot vessels, at 11.9m LOA, a very capable design which proves economical to operate, yet capable of dealing with very rough seas and challenging boarding conditions when required.

With a long tradition in building high performance vessels using composite material Hart Marine now produces some of the finest pilot boats available. European Design. Australian built. hartmarine.com.au

After more than three weeks of cutting, the first chunk of the capsized Golden Ray has been lifted and set on a barge to be recycled. News4JAX reporter Zac Lashway is speaks with a Saint Simons resident about what the process is like for those living on the water.

A harbor pilot has the difficult job of bringing ships into port. A candidate for Albay Yacht Club has invited me to document the process. I went with Jud, the harbor pilot.