The name of the ship showed great promise but a less splendid vessel I had seldom seen as I leapt from the pilot boat to the ladder on her rusted side. The upper works were no better with rust staining the once white paint The bridge was old fashioned but the Chinese Captain and his officers gave me a warm welcome. We were bound for Denmark and Norway: Esbjerg, … [Read more...]

The ship’s ETA meant that I must leave home the evening before. I saw on the weather forecast that a huge depression was in the Atlantic and heading for the English Channel. Eight hours later, as I entered the pilot office at Brixham I was greeted with a telex message sent from the ship: “Hove to off Bishop Rock. ETA uncertain.” The storm grew until it … [Read more...]

A telephone call on the ship’s radio changed my plans. It was rare for a call to come for me, and usually it was bad news from home, but on this occasion, as the ship I was on was proceeding under local pilotage to Antwerp, the call was from my agent. “When you get alongside, please transfer to ‘Advantage’ , the Captain is particularly requesting … [Read more...]

With a cargo of bananas partly discharged in Newport Docks, the sleek white ship waited for the tide to sail to her next destination, Antwerp. Eventually, and a little later than planned, the moorings were let go and she entered the locks with two tugs assisting. Whilst waiting for the locks to fill and the outer gate to open thick fog came down and visibility was … [Read more...]

The river Scheldte, from Flushing to Antwerp, has always been a dangerous river with tight bends and many sandbanks.  I was on a large Japanese car carrier, the ’Meiyo Maru’, which was loaded with some 3,000 cars for the European market from Japan. I had finished my duty and turned in for a well deserved sleep as the local pilot came on board to take the … [Read more...]

An airline pilot once told me that his job was 95% boredom and 5% sheer terror. A Deep Sea Pilot's job is much the same. A Deep Sea Pilot assists vessels in navigating the busy waters of the English Channel, Dover Straits and beyond and as such is sometimes involved in events beyond his control. We had sailed from Leningrad (St Petersburg as it is now called) for a … [Read more...]