Allen Garfinkle — The Making of a Bay Pilot | 8/7/2019

The article was written by Allen Garfinkle, Executive Director – Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun

Great Lakes Pilot Eric Treece joined us in the Virtual Visitor Center for an interview about his career as a fleet captain and his experiences now as a pilot working aboard a variety of ships. In the course of the conversation, he shares some spectacular photos he has taken over the years. TECHNICAL NOTE: there are a few audio glitches we could not correct but it only impacts a few spots.

Impatience is triggered when we have a set goal (for example berthing a vessel) but realise it's going to cost us more than we thought to reach it (the vessel is only making 6 knots against the tide and is taking much longer than predicted).

On October 11, 2018, the Kristin Alexis was performing fleeting work with a crew of six, including a captain, pilot, and four deckhands (two per shift), at the Cooper Consolidated fleeting facility at Convent located at mile 161.5. About 2300, the Cooper Consolidated dispatcher informed the Kristin Alexis captain that their next job was to move the derrick-type crane barge Mr Ervin upriver to the Cooper Consolidated fleeting facility in Darrow, located at mile 175.

In this video go behind the scenes with Capt. Reid of the Palm Beach Harbor Pilots Association on the nightshift, as he docks four different cargo ships of all different sizes that help support the islands of the supply chain of the Caribbean. The pilots are important to allowing the safe operation in and out of the Port of Palm Beach every day or night and to keep the goods for the islands arriving on time. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more videos about Ships! ⚓...

When I was a deck officer back in the early nineties I worked on a ship that used to load grain at different ports along the Mississippi river. The name of the ship was Golden Hope, a 600 feet long dry bulk carrier with a 95 feet in beam. An average size vessel for those days' standards.

We were lucky to come across the Tom Crean whilst offshore putting some hours on the Interceptor 60 pilot P&O Sahm. Taking the opportunity to undertake some alongside handling trials, we captured some cool footage of Tom Crean pushing through the waves.

Bahamas Maritime Pilot's Association (BMPA) presentation at IMPA 2014.

A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, bar pilot, or simply pilot, is a sailor who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. They are navigational experts possessing knowledge of the particular waterway such as its depth, currents, and hazards.