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Video of Bermuda Harbor Pilot Transfer


PistolPete13
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Hi all,

Here is a video I finally edited of the harbor pilot departure from the NCL Prima as she left from Bermuda during the Oct. 10, 2022 sailing from NYC.

The transparent walkway on deck 8 provided a unique top down look at the transfer!
 

 

 

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38 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

Cool perspective.

 

Yes, quite a perspective!

 

But the boat... so many parts with... *no* railings or anything to hold on to?

How do they do this in choppier seas?

 

Thanks.  Very special to see this!  I've seen the "regular" but nothing quite like this view.

 

GC

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Very dangerous job for sure.......NO RAILINGS!!!  I don't understand that. In very rough seas I would think they need something to remain stable if standing out there. Yikes! 

Edited by uneamie
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That was a quite stable transfer, they didn't even need to climb a ladder.  Pilots do this every day of their working lives.  Think about the pilot who has to climb 20' of rope ladder just to get to the small platform at the bottom of the metal stairway, that then stretches another 40' up to the deck of a tanker in ballast.  And, then, going down, you are facing the side of the ship on the rope ladder, and stepping backwards onto the pilot boat.  Many pilot boats have a small platform at the top of the wheelhouse, that sticks out towards the side of the boat, like a bridge wing, where the pilot steps onto/off of the boat.

 

You'll notice in the video that the Captain turned the ship (watch the land in the background), until the ship was across the seas, and the pilot boat had stopped bouncing on the waves, as it was sheltered by the ship.

 

The reason there are no railings, is that the railings could get smashed when the pilot boat rolls against the ship, or the pilot could get trapped between a railing and the ship.  There are grab rails on the side of the superstructure of the pilot boat, and in rough weather there will be a crewman standing on the boat, either tethered off, or holding the grab rails, and reaching for the pilot to pull him in.

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