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Difficult manoeuvre in the Mercuriushaven Amsterdam.

On board of the bulk carrier ‘Cape Kennedy’, length 229 meters and width 32 meters I noticed a difficult manoeuvre by pilot Leen Kranendonk. He had to pass the bulk carrier ‘Hanjin Odessa’, length 255 meters and width 43 meters, in the Mercuriushaven in the Port of Amsterdam. It was interesting to see how he succeeded..

Demonstration pilots during World Port Days in Rotterdam.

During World Port Days in Rotterdam there was an impressive demonstration of the pilotage by helicopter on the pilot boat ‘Pollux’, lenght 81 m and breadth 13 m. Lots of people were watching how the pilot was lowered on the deck of the pilot boat and then was hoisted by the helicopter..

Last working day of a pilot (2).

On board of of the bulk carrier ‘Cape Kennedy’ I saw how the pilot boat ‘Lacerta’, length 24 m and breadth 6 m disappeared to the next vessel to pick up the pilot. I like to see how the pilot boat sailed away in the North Sea.

Last working day of a pilot.

Commisioned by the Pilots’ Association region Amsterdam-IJmond I made a photoshoot of pilot Leen Kranendonk at his last working day before retiring. It was on board of the bulk carrier ‘Cape Kennedy’, length 229 meters and width 32 meters. The ship sailed from the North Sea via the North Sea Channel to IGMA, Vlothaven in Amsterdam.

Sailing on board of the barque ‘Europe’.

During the Parade of Sail in Harlingen I spotted this woman. As part of the training she was helping to shut down the sails on board of the barque ‘Europe’. It”s a beautiful sight. Especially because she is working on her bare feet.

Pilotage of the Russian Tall Ship ‘Kruzenshtern’ during Sailing Parade into Harlingen.

During the Sailing Parade into Harlingen the Russian Tall Ship ‘Kruzenshtern’ was piloted by Johan de Joode, president/manager operations of the region North of the Dutch Pilots’ Association. Despite all the modern developments piloting is still done with a rope ladder. It is very impressive to see.
The Tall Ship ‘Kruszenshtern’ is my favorite tall ship. She is a four masted barque, length 114 m and width 14 m and is one of the biggest tall ships in the world. She belongs to the Baltic State Academy of the Fishing Fleet (Kaliningrad). The ‘Kruzenshtern’ is today a sail training vessel, training students of the maritime training institutions of the Federal Fishery Agency.

Sailing Parade into Harlingen launches The Tall Ships Races 2014.

The barque ‘Europe’ is one of the Tall Ships who participated in the Saling Parade into Harlingen which launches the Tall Ships Races 2014. This great event started  with a grand port event in Harlingen from 3-6 July with activities for young and old. This will be the first Tall Ships event in Harlingen and the most impressive event of the year in the northern region of The Netherlands. The Parade of Sail into the harbour was very spectacular. Especially the arrival of the barque  ’Europe’, in full sail, drew large crowds as she enjoyed a rousing homecoming as she returned from her recent world tour.

Thanks to the pilots of the Iberian Peninsula.

In the context of my project ‘Pilots of the World’ I travelled six weeks around the Iberian Peninsula to visit the marine pilots. I sailed with the pilots of Nantes (France), Bilbao and Valencia (Spain), Leixoes, Aveiro, Figueiras da Foz, Lisboa and Sines (Portugal) and Gibraltar. I want to thank all the people who helped me to make this project a success. In the following weeks I will publish the pictures of the pilot trips. So keep an eye on my website!

The locks ‘L’ écluse François Premier 1′

In the context of my project ‘Pilots of the World’ I sailed in the port of Le Havre with pilot Xavier Salins on the Ro-ro Cargo MV  ‘Midas’ (length 106 m and 16 m wide). It was a trip from the port of Le Havre, passing the locks ‘L’ écluse François Premier 1′  to the English Channel. The locks were impressive with exceptional dimensions (length 400 m, width 67 m and depth 24 meters).

See for more pictures: Pilots of Le Havre-Fecamp

From Rouen to Caudebec en Caux

In Rouen port I sailed with pilot David Robert on the chemical tanker ‘Forres Park’ (length 183 meters and 32 meters wide). It was a beautiful trip of 120 km across the Seine to the English Channel. The trip was done by two pilots. The change of pilots occured at Caudebec en Caux. For me it was not possible to sail all the way to the sea because of the weather (heavy wind). At Caudebec en Caux pilot David Robert was replaced by pilot Pascal Erny. David Robert left the vessel via the pilot ladder. The pilot boat sailed the pilot to the pilot station at Caudebec en Caux. The ‘Forres Park’ continued her way to sea.

See for more pictures: Pilots of Rouen (Seine)