Coastlines
TO BE A PILOT: THE STORY BEHIND A PAINTING
THE CHARLOTTE KILNER
Many pilots are descended from shipping families but all too often the records are lost over even a couple of generations. Retired Humber pilot David Raddings came across the following record Read the rest of this entry »
TYNE PILOTS: THE END OF AN ERA
On 31st March 2008, an era in the history of the river Tyne ended with the retirement of John Marshall and Alan Purvis, the last traditional Tyne Pilot family pilots. Read the rest of this entry »
DAVE DEVEY AWARDED MN MEDAL
Dave Devey Awarded the Merchant navy Medal. Read the rest of this entry »
PILOT GIGS OF CORNWALL AND THE SCILLY ISLES
THE PILOT GIGS OF CORNWALL AND THE SCILLY ISLES
The pilot gigs of the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall are totally unique six oared open boats which were used to ship pilots onto ships arriving of the South West approaches to the United Kingdom. This feature actually started as a review of a fascinating book that I found in the bookshelf of a holiday let in Cornwall. Titled : “Azook: The Story of the Pilot Gigs of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 1666 – 1994”. Read the rest of this entry »
HMS Worcester
There is a thriving Worcester Association and full details can be obtained via their website
Pilots Reunion in Tampa
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left to right, Captain Robert Holden retired Panama Canal pilot, Captain David Ingham retired Trinity House and Haven Ports pilot and Captain Donald Mercereau retired Sandy Hook New York pilot
Nelson Memorial
NELSON FUNERAL RE-ENACTMENT
The Nelson Funeral re-enactment was held on the Thames on 16th September 2005. Several pilots and retired pilots attended this event and shown here are First Sea Lord
Sir Alan West with L-R Nick Cutmore, IMPA Secretary General, Leonard Fenner Retd.
(London TH North Channel & PLA), Peter Widd (TH & PLA), Peter Russell Retd.( London TH Cinque Ports & PLA) and Norman Knowles Retd. (London TH Cinque Ports)
A visit to Poland
A Visit to
As a distraction from the serious matters contained in The Pilot, may I use your column to say a big thank you to our pilot colleagues in
At the back end of the summer holidays I had the pleasure to accompany my daughter Beth to Puck in
Puck is a small Polish holiday resort situated on the Baltic coast in the
Needing to find accommodation for myself and two daughters I was seriously lacking in ‘local knowledge’. Who better then to call upon but a local pilot.
Following an email enquiry to the pilot office in
It was with some trepidation that I pondered the accommodation details for two teenage females, but with Richard’s “local knowledge” my fears were dispelled.
We booked in to the Jan III Sobieski (www.zameksobieski.pl), a castellated manor house belonging to a long gone second cousin of some Tsar from bygone days. Refurbished from near total dilapidation, the three restaurants offered the highest standards of cuisine with a wine cellar to match. In our spare time we made use of the gym, tennis courts, horse riding and the private walks on the beach and through pine forests. Value for money is an understatement. Wines and horse riding included, eight days all in cost a little over £600 for the three of us! It goes to show how valuable ‘local knowledge’ really is and what it can save you.
Richard’s hospitality did not stop with arranging our accommodation. Despite having just returned from a week of negotiations for pilots from another port he very kindly took us for a tour of the three cities of Sopot,
Thank you Richard, my regards to your wife, your son and his fiancé. I wish them
the best of luck in their computing and law studies.
David Williamson
PS. Unfortunately, Beth did not do as well as had been hoped due to stronger than seasonal winds (+25kts) and was placed 21 of 25 at the end of the week. On the day when winds were seasonal (10-14kts) she came 11th & 14th which was more in line with expectations. However, in September she won the British National Junior Championships (U17s) which has qualified her for the British Junior Team for 2004, so it was a good end to the season.
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