Module 16 - Pilotage
What Is Pilotage?
What you will learn
Explain how a pilotage plan turns a confined-water route into short, observable stages with limits and escape choices.
Pilotage is the close-control phase of navigation near harbours, channels, rivers and hazards. The skipper prepares a simple plan, identifies what should appear next, and repeatedly compares the real scene with that plan.
Confined water compresses the time available to detect and correct an error. Pilotage therefore combines an updated chart and publications with visual marks, depth, compass, distance, time, electronic position and local information. No single source—including a chartplotter—should carry the whole plan.
Break the route into legs bounded by conspicuous features or decisions. For each leg record the track, distance or time, expected marks, depth limits, traffic or call requirements, and a clearing limit. Brief who will steer, identify marks, monitor depth and handle lines without hiding the skipper's overall picture.
Execution is a loop: observe, compare, control and confirm. If an expected feature is absent, the depth trend is wrong, traffic changes or the vessel reaches a pre-briefed limit, slow down, hold or abort while there is still room. A pilotage plan supports judgement; it is not a script that makes conditions safe.
| Pilotage loop | Question aboard | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Observe | What can we identify now? | Mark, transit, light, depth, bearing or position |
| Compare | Does it match the planned stage? | Expected side, sequence, range, time and depth trend |
| Control | What small safe action is needed? | Course, speed, crew task, call, hold or abort |
| Confirm | Did the action produce the expected result? | New bearing, alignment, clearance, depth and traffic picture |
Recognise a plan that is starting to fail
On a harbour approach the next green lateral mark is not visible, the echo sounder is shoaling earlier than the plan predicts and a ferry is leaving the entrance.
1. Name the mismatch
Do not continue merely because the chartplotter route still lies ahead; two independent observations disagree with the plan.
2. Protect room
Reduce speed or move to the pre-briefed holding area before the entrance becomes committed.
3. Rebuild the picture
Check position, tide, charted depths, traffic and the identity of the expected mark, then continue only with an explained safe route.
Sense check: A useful pilotage response creates thinking time. Pressing on while trying to identify the problem removes it.
Common mistake or limitation
- Pilotage is not visual navigation instead of instruments; it is disciplined cross-checking in a small margin.
- Passing the planned abort point without the required cue or depth turns a manageable uncertainty into a close-quarters problem.
Recap
- Prepare the route as observable stages before the workload rises.
- Compare independent cues continuously rather than following a line blindly.
- Keep a holding or abort choice available until the entrance is understood.
Optional quick check
Section 1 of 8
What is the safest first response when two independent pilotage cues disagree with the plan?
Continue studying Pilotage
This public lesson is part of Revision Module 16. Full revision access adds the guided Learn, Practise and Test flow, flashcards and revision progress.