"Perspectives of a Ship Channel Pilot" with Captain Leonard Glass

Captain Leonard Glass has been a Houston Ship Channel Pilot since 1984. He started his maritime career in the towing business and has worked all over the world.  In his time-off he enjoys fishing around Galveston Bay.  He even admits to being a sailor!  As a pilot, he is the "local expert" to aid ship captains in transiting the HSC safely.  While officially the ship captains are still in charge, they almost always follow his exact instructions.  Capt Glass recognizes that sailboats have a legitimate right to use the channel, and says he likes watching them.  He commented that he and the other pilots were very much in favor of some sort of "drivers license" for all boaters.

Capt. Glass (center) presented a highly informative and interesting discussion about the history of the ship channel, the Houston Ship Pilots and their training, pilot vessels, and pilot operating procedures.  Here he answers a few more questions from Vernon Downing and another member.

There are currently 84 ship pilots for Galveston Bay, including two women.  Ship pilots are licensed Masters with at least 6 years of experience.  They start their careers with a 3 year training program, and are in continual training all of their careers.  Two of the training methods involve the use of computerized ship simulators and miniature vessels.  The training with the miniature vessels is conducted in Port Revel, France, a lake near Grenoble, and the "ships" are 30-80 feet long with scaled engines and mass.   Houston is also a major training area for pilots.

A Pilot's Day (or frequently night):  

• When called out, the pilot checks the weather and tides, as well as the traffic schedule.  Much of this information is available off the Internet (see site links below). 

• He (or she) then catches the pilot boat either at Morgan Point (sailing) or in Galveston (incoming) and travels out to the assigned ship.  The pilot for incoming ships meets them at the "GB" buoy about 10 miles out of the channel.  From this point on, the ship to ship communications channel is 13, though they also monitor 16, especially across the ICW intersection.   

• The pilot and ships captain then have a formal conference where the pilot explains the transit, what traffic to expect (all ship traffic over 150 tons is controlled), weather and tide conditions, and any special instructions.  The HSC Vessel Control performs traffic scheduling and control in the channel.  The control channel is 11 in the upper channel and 12 in the lower channel. 

• The pilot then takes over direction of the ship, giving instructions to the ship's helmsman, while the captain stands by.  The "walls" of the ship channel produce a bank cushion effect which tends to drive the ship to the center of the channel.  The pilot must anticipate directional changes when passing other traffic and make them well in advance of the actual passing, correcting for the bank effect.  Most big tankers have only about 2 feet from the keel to the bottom of the channel, and this causes a suction effect on the stern of the ship making it "squat" in the water, increasing the time it takes to "answer the helm".

• The pilot's main job is to anticipate and avoid traffic situations by adjusting speed or maneuvering.  Because of the diverse nature of the traffic in the channel, the pilots must have a good feel for the handling characteristics of all kinds of boats and ships, including sailboats.  

• The pilot and captain agree on what docking assistance they will require from tugs or shore parties.  Capt. Glass remarked that the fastest thing in the world approaching a dock was a tanker doing 1 knot ahead with the engines full astern.  Big ships tend to rotate right or left when they are put astern, much like a sailboat.  They sometimes use tugs off the stern to keep the big ship pointed straight down the channel. 

• Once the ship is docked safely, the pilots wait for their next assignment.  They work 2 weeks on then 2 weeks off. Unlike the pilots in some other ports, they are responsible for taking the ships from the sea buoy all the way into the dock, or making the complete reverse trip outgoing.

Some Cautions for Sailors :

• When ever possible, stay clear of the channel or at least hug the sides.  The channel below Redfish now has shallow tow lanes just inside the markers that are not deep enough for the ships, so they are safe for sailboats.  These are frequented by the towboat traffic so watch this as well. 

• Don't go so close to a ship so that you cannot be seen from the bridge.  Nothing is more terrifying to a pilot than to see a sailboat disappear under the bow.   There is also a suction force from midships to the stern that will tend to pull in other boats closer than they want to be.

• Try to be predictable in your motions.  Don't tack or turn suddenly in front or toward the bow of a big ship.   It takes them several minutes to make a significant turn and several miles to stop. 

• Use the right navigation lights at night.  If you don't think the ship sees you, then call them on Channel 13 or use a spotlight to get their attention.

• Capt. Glass related one of his "horror stories" about sailboats.  During one trip he noted that a sailboat was trying to cross the channel and kept ending up in irons, then the captain would circle around, gain speed and go right back into irons as the tanker approached closer and closer.  Just as the sailboat disappeared from view below the bow of the tanker, the sailboat captain was handing out life preservers to his crew.   Somehow they missed the sailboat, but you can imagine how the pilots and the tanker captain were feeling at that moment!

The Houston pilots have four boats: M/V HOUSTON, 62.2 feet long, M/V LONE STAR, 50 feet long, HOUSTON PILOT No.1, 54 feet long, and HOUSTON PILOT No.3, 85 feet long. The boats have gray and blue hulls and white superstructures. The boats are catamaran-style hulls for speed and stability in rough conditions.  The pilot boats display the International Code flag P by day and the standard pilot lights by night. The pilot boats motor VHF-FM channels 14 and 74, continuously; the pilot office monitors channel 74. The pilot boats call signs are WYR-8541, WG-6780, and WZR-984.9. The sound and visual signals are two long and three short blasts on the whistle or flashes on the signal light. The Houston pilots serve all ports above Texas city in Harris County.

The pilot boats come out when vessels are expected, and the pilots board at Galveston Bay Entrance Channel Approach Lighted Buoy GB. Vessels should maintain steer-age way and offer a good lee for the pilot to board. The pilots will advise vessels on the radiotelephone if special procedures are necessary. All pilots carry portable radiotelephones.

The Houston pilots have a very informative web site at www.houston-pilots.com.  The site has local weather, traffic advisories, and rules of operation.  One of the key sites that Capt. Glass recommends for all boaters passing through the ship channel is:

 http://www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/hgports/hgports.html