Pilot Boarding Ground
A Pilot Boarding Ground is the designated area off a port entrance where a marine pilot boards an arriving ship or disembarks from a departing one. It is marked on the chart and in the port information, positioned in reasonably sheltered water clear of dangers, where the ship slows and makes a lee for the pilot boat to come alongside.
The ship is expected to arrive at the pilot boarding ground at the agreed time, rig the pilot ladder correctly, and provide a safe boarding. It is a key waypoint in every port call: the point where responsibility for local navigation is shared with the pilot who has the local knowledge.
The pilot boarding ground is where deep-sea passage meets local pilotage, and where a hazardous transfer takes place. Getting to it on time, in the right condition, with the ladder rigged safely, is a defined and important part of every port call — a late or unsafe arrival disrupts the whole port schedule.
What happens at the pilot boarding ground?
The ship slows and makes a lee, the pilot boat comes alongside, and the pilot boards up the pilot ladder to take up local navigation. On departure the pilot disembarks here after conning the ship out.