Just how dangerous a Pilots job can be!

[Tonka's Skipper]

Lots of guests like to watch the pilots boarding and leaving the vessel. This shows just how dangerous it can be. Believe me it can be much worse in other ports and weather/sea conditions.



WATCH: Scary Footage Shows Ship Pilot Fall from Ladder


AKK


WATCH: Scary Footage Shows Ship Pilot Fall from Ladder

April 26, 2016 by Mike Schuler


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Some scary footage posted online shows the moment a ship pilot falls into the water during a boarding in rough seas.

The footage was posted by the facebook group Humans at Sea. The group provided no details about the accident, including when or where it happened or whether or not the pilot was rescued. Luckily you can see the pilot barely clear the stern of the pilot boat without being crushed between the boat and ship.

Comments online have been critical of the boat crew’s reaction to the incident, although you can clearly see the crewman immediately alert the pilot boat skipper before rushing over to the life ring. Still in the video you can see the pilot left swimming for at least 40 seconds with no sign of the life ring in the vicinity.

If you have any details about the video, please share on social media.


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[dclpluto]

Why don't pilots use a harness?

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Why don't pilots use a harness?

Good Point

The answer is because in some situations, hanging by a harness with a ship and pilot boat, banging together is more dangerous then just getting wet and drifting away from the boat and vessel. Each situation is different and all can be dangerous.


AKK

 

[truck1]

Not only that, if the harness hangs up on something or worse the ship goes one way and the pilot boat another puts you in a really bad spot.

I read something a while ago about a pilot that got wet. I forget the circumstances or even where but the shirt version is that it was at night and the pilot boat and the ship couldn't find him. They ended up calling a helo out to help look and the only way they found him was that while he was treading water in his life jacket, as the helo got close, he would point his personal flashlight straight up and splash water over the lens. The CG pilot even said had he not done that they never would have seen him even with FLIR.

 

[lorimay]

 

[Sir William]

Not only that, if the harness hangs up on something or worse the ship goes one way and the pilot boat another puts you in a really bad spot.

Years ago when I was in the Navy, I was climbing up a Jacob's ladder from one our ship's boats while in some rough seas. My life jacket got snagged and I was stuck between the ship and the boat. Just before the boat slammed into the ship, a large and quick thinking boatswains mate grabbed the ladder and hauled it up, with me still attached to it. The boat suffered significant damage and the bottom of the ladder was completely destroyed.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Years ago when I was in the Navy, I was climbing up a Jacob's ladder from one our ship's boats while in some rough seas. My life jacket got snagged and I was stuck between the ship and the boat. Just before the boat slammed into the ship, a large and quick thinking boatswains mate grabbed the ladder and hauled it up, with me still attached to it. The boat suffered significant damage and the bottom of the ladder was completely destroyed.

I hope you bought that Boatswains mate a Beer Sir William!

AKK

 

[Sir William]

I hope you bought that Boatswains mate a Beer Sir William!

AKK

I offered him a case of any beverage of his choice. He chose beer.