Safe harbour of retirement
Ship pilot ends 35 years of guidance
BOB Brindle loves nothing more than bringing a ship safely into harbour. The 77-year-old, who has been responsible for shepherding about 8 000 vessels without incident into South African ports over the past 35 years, guided his last ship into Richards Bay harbour this week.
Even though he may be in his late seventies, Brindle said 1 000 steps a day is part of a normal day’s work which helps to “keep me fit”.
Born in the UK, Brindle said he wanted to go to sea from a young age.
“When I was a youngster, I was a sea cadet and my father was in the navy, although shore-based. I come from a seafaring nation and got my Master’s Ticket in the 1960s.”
After notching up valuable experience in the Merchant Navy, Brindle moved to South Africa to work with the tugs in Durban harbour and was involved with the dredging of Richards Bay harbour.
“I became a bit bored with dredging and changed direction to become a marine pilot,” said Brindle, who was put in charge of taking the first pilot boat up to the Zululand port.
“We took the pilot boat up with the first fleet of tugs. There were only two coal berths back then,” said Brindle, adding that the ports of Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town could fit into Richards Bay harbour.
He had been bringing vessels into the harbour for a number of years when helicopters were introduced as an alternative method of taking the marine pilot out to a vessel.
The work of a marine pilot requires finesse, along with nerves of steel, to bring the bulky vessels through the port channels and steer them alongside quay walls. Just a bump or two will cause damage running into millions of rand. And when gales blow and the waves reach majestic heights, a high level of expertise is needed to steer a rolling ship.
“I have done thousands of winches with winds up to 40 knots (74km/h) and we’ve had some shocking experiences. We once brought in a tanker some 380 metres long with only two small tugs.
“There was a strong wind through the Richards Bay harbour entrance and the gusts made it extremely difficult. On another occasion, the wind was over 70 knots (130km/h) and it was raining. I ran up to the bridge because we were right at the entrance and the ship was going to go aground. The next 10 minutes felt like hours,” he said.
While he has a definite dislike of driving rain out at sea, Brindle said he could not imagine doing anything else.
“I totally enjoy it, every day is different. I love what I do. I can do up to five jobs a day. At the moment we have 60 ships waiting outside Richards Bay and I’ll go to my job and match any of the youngsters. If there are no elevators on the vessel, I can easily do 1 000 steps a day. It keeps me fit,” he said.
With ships getting bigger every day, there has also been a big shift with technology coming into the shipping industry, but Brindle said being a good pilot was all about being “hands on”.
“Technology has changed on vessels, but it’s rarely used except when there is fog. I still use my eyes, leading lights and my judgment. I never quit when I am bringing in a ship. You can feel a ship and I have seen the ocean in all its moods,” he said.
Although he did retire some time back, Brindle was brought back to the port on contract and said one of his highlights had been training and mentoring the next generation of marine pilots.
“Some of them are exceptionally good. Two years ago, we were trying to turn a ship by the coal terminal and the two ladies on the tugs did a marvellous job. It was raining and difficult to see anything,” he added.
And for new marine pilots, Brindle advises: “When you are under pressure, you must not crack and sometimes a decision has to be made in a moment.”
And although he has done a lot of mountaineering in his time and enjoys a good game of golf, the long-serving pilot is going to miss guiding the big vessels into safe haven. “It’s my home,” he said. Piloting vessels is one of the oldest professions in the world, with the first historical records dating back to 7th century BC. Since seafaring began, it has also been regarded as one of the most important positions in harbours, with the pilot required to have detailed knowledge of harbour depth, harbour mouth, winds and tides.
Pilots work closely with the ship’s captain and crew as well as with the tugs which assist in bringing the vessel into berth.