Topic starter
12/04/2009 10:33 pm
Greetings From New Orleans ,
A few nights ago I was dispatched to relieve another pilot on a south bound ship out of the Dow , Plaquemine facility , when my office called and changed my orders . Instead of relieving him at the Grandview Anchorage , river mile 147.6 , my orders were changed to relieve him at Bringier Point , river mile 172.5 . What had happened to alter the assignment was that the ship he was piloting , was caught in an eddy under the Bringier Point and was literally turned around and then thrown bow first into the sand bar just below the point . Fortunately , there was no damage , no polution , and no injuries but with a rising river , 10' and rising in New Orleans , these " incidents " still and will happen . It also just goes to show that the river still has the upper hand and with all the high tech equipment and gadgetrie that is now on board these modern marvels ( ships ) , the RIVER still has the upper hand and its another example that Piloting is an art and certainly not a science !
SmoothSailing !
Ted
