Pilotage Foundation authors virtual meeting

Pilotage Foundation authors virtual meeting

In the light of the Pilotage Foundation decision to postpone their planned Author’s Conference in October 2020, authors were invited to participate in Zoom teleconferencing call that was held on 1st May. The take up of the invitation was impressive and 23 authors and editors were able to log in including from distant bases in Indonesia, Miami, Gibraltar, Azores, Canary Is and Alderney and they were joined by a further 5 amongst Pilotage Foundation management. Bonus brownie points to Martin Fuller RCC - not (yet!) a PF editor but a prolific provider of cruising notes reports on his travels in the Caribbean, including a comprehensive guide to the Turks and Caicos - who had to set his alarm for 5.00am Miami time to log in.

We heard of the varying experiences of the lock down from Jess Lloyd Mostyn in Indonesia, Annabel Finding in virus free Alderney, Graham Hutt in a closed down Gibraltar, Linda Lane-Thornton from Terceira in the Azores and Andrew Wilkes marooned on the marina pontoon in Lanzarote. Miranda Delmar Morgan also related the trials of her daughter Rachel sailing in the Eastern Pacific.

As well as the general chat, we discussed varying topics including the impact of Covid19 on sales of Pilotage Foundation publications, Imray’s development of ‘pocket pilots’ and the impact of the impending regulations affecting UK sailors travel in Europe in a post-Brexit (remember that!) environment. And we were reminded of Nick Chavasse’s talk later in the day on Imray Live titled Navigation Blunders, Lockdown Pursuits and New Plans.
The call was rated a great success and plans are in place to repeat the exercise by the end of June.