Pilots boarding San Francisco Bar Pilots

At the end of the disembarking procedure, the pilot jumps on ropes onto the pilot boat. Is this often seen practice safe? Can the pilot resolve the situation better?

Play World of Warships for Free! Click my link to join the battle and unlock exclusive rewards. https://wo.ws/SamEckholm For over 150 years, the San Francisco Bar Pilots have guided the world’s largest ships through one of the most dangerous stretches of water anywhere on Earth. In this episode, I'm taking you out to sea with the pilots to see what it actually takes to navigate these vessels through the Golden Gate. Follow Along Here: --------------------------------------------- 📸...

Chapter 3 from the book "Crossing the Bar, The Adventures of a San Francisco Bay Bar Pilot" by Captain Paul Lobo, available on Amazon (link below)

February 23, 2020.
During high seas, smaller ships board Maritime Pilots in the mass entrance to Port of Rotterdam.

A pilot ladder is a highly specialized form of rope ladder, typically used on board cargo vessels for the purposes of embarking and disembarking pilots.

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.

The following article appeared in AIMPA magazine number 2 about the strength and testing of pilot ladders : There is much more information about pilot ladders in the AIMPA magazine, second issue, if you wish to read more you can download a copy at the bottom of this post.

Pilot-Guard is a global pilot safety network that enables the real-time exchange of safety-related information between organisations around the globe on non-compliant pilot transfer arrangements (nc-pta) of vessels.

I have had the privilege of being at quite a number of meetings, conferences and seminars, sometimes representing The Netherlands, but mostly representing the Netherlands pilots. I have had many discussions about the role of pilots and pilot organisations, which lead me to write an article “What is the added value of pilotage?”, published in the February 2020 issue of Seaways.