Important Hard Working People We Hardly Acknowledge.......

[AirGorilla]

The nice folks at the airport with the clipboards, who greet, track down and get the pax onto the shuttle buses to the pier.

 

AG

[SwissMyst]

 

Sorry, SwissMyst, that I have taken so long to answer your questions. Although I could remember a few details, I wanted to give the most accurate information. Neither cousin was available last night to answer, so had to wait until one could respond.

 

Yes, there may be female pilots. Women were first admitted as academic cadets in 1974. For purposes here, I'll stick to the masculine pronoun.

Like you, we never tire of watching pilots "jump ship." Although a captain never relinquishes control of his vessel, the pilot is responsible for the ship's safety while he is navagating. During his brief time aboard, should an accident occur, he will be held accountable. In a typical day, a pilot might guide numerous ships from harbor to the open sea. Depends on how busy a harbor is. In Hampton Roads, a pilot will be very busy on most days. When they are "on duty," they are subject to call 24 hours a day, regardless of sea conditions. Cousins have had some close calls during bad storms.

The training as you might expect takes years. A pilot must have a merchant marine license with required endorsement. He must be a high school graduate or have GED and serve years as an apprentice. In addition he serves a one-year apprenticeship as a deputy pilot. Before that, he works his way up through various merchant marine licenses. He builds sea time (must have a minimum of 600 hours in last 5 years) & serves as second mate on a ship with a certain tonnage. U.S. Naval experience counts toward sea time.

 

And, like airline pilots or anyone in a high risk job, he must pass random drug tests. Hope this answers your questions. Again, thanks for the interest and your appreciation.

 

Thank you so much for the follow-up information. A few more questions for your cousins if you have the time sometime. I am also curious if each nation has its own pilot training programs because every single even remote port in third world countries or islands have them. Do they get trained in their own countries or do they get their training in some international spot. The skill levels obviously have to be uniform around the world. Yet, the conditions of the countries and their education systems vary so dramatically.

 

Your report only intensifies my respect and had no idea of the commitment and training required for that single part of the entire cruising experience. Bravo to all these unsung heros of our pleasure trips.

[sevenseasnomad]

Yes, each nation has its own merchant marine. Many smaller countries, however, are now hiring from the U.S.

And I forgot to address your question on language. English is the official language at sea.