[Ted Davisson]

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Bob , to answer your other question concerning going up and down a rope Pilot Ladder , well the trick is , don't look down !! All , joking aside and this has worked for me over these past thirty-one years of doing just this , I just don't look down !! I have a confession to make and that is I have never really cared to much for heights and there have been times when going down the rope Pilot Ladder , that I have had second and even third thoughts of going down that ladder !
Furthermore , I was so impressed of " Steamboat Mary " , when she and Fred made a few trips with me and with very little instruction and advice she scampered up the side of the ship as if she was a pro and had done this as many times as I have ! She was outstanding !
Now , try this worst case scenario out for size !
Its the middle of the night , your half asleep , you ride out on a loud , yawing and bumpy Pilot Boat , the boat operator lands hard against the side of a moving ship , there is a dimly lit rope Pilot Ladder swaying alongside the ship , you have up to a 40' climb , the ladder rungs are worn , wet and slippery , you first have to test the Pilot Ladder by putting you body weight on it because you don't know for sure if it has been secured to the main deck of the ship , then you start your climb , the Pilot Boat then roars off into the dark and there you are climbing up the side of this ship that you may have never been on before and hopefully when you arrive on the main deck of the ship there will be some one there with a flash light that just may speak a bit of broken English at best that will then escort you to the Bridge of the ship ! So , there you have it and now try doing this in reverse when disembarking this same ship !
For me at least , this is the worst part of the whole trip and yes , we have
" lost " Pilots when going up and down the Pilot Ladder both here and in other ports around the world !
Then to add insult to injury , there are those in the local New Orleans , marine industry that think of Pilots as , and I quote , " Over Paid and Glorified Bus Drivers " !! Now , I have a lot of respect for all manner of bus drivers but I don't believe that many id any have to go through all this just to get to work !
If still interested , there is still an Open Invitation for any one to come make a trip with me !!
Go Figure !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70

Originally Posted by Bob Reynolds

Well, that's not only sad, but kind of scary to hear! My only experience on ships has been on the few cruises we've been on, and in addition to those captains being fluent in English (no matter their nationality), the ones I have encountered did their own handling. Two I remember were a Captain Ringborn (Swedish) and Captain Gunter Gummert (German). Both were excellent ship handlers. I just assumed that any ship captain would know how to handle his own ship.