[Ted Davisson]

Greetings From New Orleans !
As Tropical Storm Lee , made his presence known in the Gulf Coast Region and the Lower Mississippi River , one other aspect of its strength and intensity came into play !
Early this morning , about 1:30 am , I was awakened by my phone and with an assignment from my office to sail a fairly large and deep draft ship out of the IMTT St. Rose terminal . The ship was the M/V Sonangol Kizomba , of Panamanian Registry , with forty-five feet of draft , with 159,165 dead weight tons and 900 feet in length ! Yes , she was a big girl but generally speaking the larger ships actually handle better even at this draft because they are designed to take much deeper drafts of cargo . Consequently , even though it was a big ship by most standards , because she was not as maximum deep draft , she handled a bit better . At first this sounded like a rather short and routine assignment but after arriving on the vessel , I knew right away this was NOT going to be any thing but a " short and routine " assignment !
First of all , due to the oncoming squalls from Tropical Storm Lee , the wind was blowing so hard the rain was coming in sideways and the river was littered with white caps !
Then after a two hour delay and with the assistance of four high powered
" Tractor Tugs " , we were able to depart the St. Rose terminal on a " Left Helm " and start our trip down the river to the New Orleans , General Anchorage !
For the most part the river traffic was light other than a few north bound ships and one large south bound " Line Tow " with thirty-nine barges ! As I passed both the Ama and Kenner Bend Anchorages , all the ships were literally blown sideways and perpendicular to the river because of the strong winds and slack river current .
Fortunately , other than the heavy rain from the intermittent squalls from Lee , the trip was rather normal and yes a bit routine !
Between the two radars , the two VHF radios and the PPU , even the occasional " Shut Out " rain was not a big concern although it was a bit disconcerting to see the rain coming down side ways from the forty to sixty mile an hour winds !
As is the case with every south bound assignment , as I rounded Algiers Point , I called on my cell phone to the New Orleans , General Anchorage launch boat service and gave them my position and which side of the ship was the Pilot Ladder . Then looking down that long and some times " Shut Out " reach of the river , it dawned on me that my ship was on a south bound course directly into the incoming tropical storm winds ! The problem with this is , that the white caps in the river were on both sides of the ship and neither side would be really suitable for the Pilot Ladder and the oncoming Pilot to make his attempt to board the ship !
To mitigate this situation , I navigated the ship close to the East Bank ( left descending side ) of the river and then gave a hard right steer , so as to create a Lee side of the ship so as to block the wind and waves so that the oncoming Pilot could have an easier side to climb up the ladder on !
Fortunately , this worked out well and both the Crescent Pilot and his apprentice were able to scamper up the side of the ship and make their way to the Bridge of the ship !
After the Crescent Pilot and I completed our Pilot to Pilot Exchange , the Crescent Pilot told me that he would keep the ship on a " Slow Bell " so that I may exit off the same side of the ship and on the same Lee side of the ship !
Unfortunately , the wind had shifted and now the wind and waves were once again on both sides of the ship and the launch boat that I was to exit onto was bouncing and diving like a toy in the oncoming white caps of the river !
So , after a few rather unsuccessful attempts to time myself with a jump on to the bouncing launch boat , we gave up on that side of the ship and attempted to disembark the ship now on the starb'd side of the ship ! Unfortunately , the wind , rain and white caps were not cooperating on that side of the ship as well and the only alternative was to return to the Bridge of the ship and wait for the wind to calm between the oncoming squalls .
When I returned to the Bridge of the ship both the Pilot and Captain informed me that now the winds were gusting up into the sixty mile an hour range and that it would be best for everyone's good health for me to stay on board until the ship arrived to a hard turn in the river near Belle Chase , Louisiana !
I agreed with this plan and informed both Pilot and Captain that I have reached that point in my life where I just don't break and heal as well as I use to . So after a good laugh by all it was a unanimous decision to sit tight , right out the storm and to hopefully make my departure much further down river from the New Orleans , General Anchorage !
Well , as good luck would have it and with a hard turn in the river to now the right descending side of the river the Crescent Pilot was able to steer the huge ship to the right , create a Lee side to block the oncoming wind and waves , and I was able to once again to attempt to disembark !
Fortunately , the launch boat operator was experienced and skilled at these maneuvers and was able to hold his launch boat along side the ship as I was able to make it down most of the Pilot Ladder and then to jump off the Pilot Ladder and onto the over head rack of the now slightly bouncing and diving launch boat ! Furthermore , the launch boat operator there in Belle Chase latter told me that he had spoken to the launch boat operator at the New Orleans , General Anchorage and was informed by him that when he was attempting to pluck me off the Pilot Ladder there at the General Anchorage , his launch boat was literally diving and bouncing out of the water and taking at least six to ten foot dives ! Just another day at the office , right ??
This is just one example out of many of all the hazards and issues that marine Pilots face and deal with on a daily basis , not only in this port but all over the world as well ! Marine Pilots are lost every year and in every port of the world and in all manner of accidents and although there are a number os rules and regulations to provide for the safety of the Pilot , many are just simply NOT adhered to ! It is situations like this and others that raises the ire and blood pressure of many Pilots when many in the marine industry refer to us in the media as " Over Paid And Glorified Bus Drivers " !
Welcome to my world !
Ted Davisson
WA-4141