Photos taken by Frank Aloise
Fairform Flyer by Huckins. Huckins is up in Jacksonville, FL and they made their name when
old man Huckins built PT Boats for the military. These vessels were ahead of their time in
design and are valued highly today for their quality and speed.
Arial shot of a large tanker heading south against the Gulf Stream. Wind is east at
fifteen knots and the seas are pretty regular and running three to five feet.
Pilot vessel: foreign flag vessels, vessels over 300 gross tons are required to take a
pilot onboard in order to enter most American ports. The rails at the forward half of the
vessel is where the pilot will stand as the vessel pulls along side the tanker of
freighter. Note the cabin side slant inward, this is so when the pilot boat rolls the
cabin will not make contact with the side of the much larger commercial vessel. Pilot
vessel have to be fast, maneuverable and be able to operate in almost any weather. The
hardest part of the job of pilot and the most dangerous is getting on and off the vessels.
At least our pilots do not have to climb a rope ladder cover with ice in freezing weather.