As a schoolboy of 15, William Wells left his native New Zealand to “go to sea” and, after training in the UK, he worked his way up to Ship’s Captain before becoming a Commercial Marine Pilot.
Capt. Wells’ seafaring career has included pilot roles in the Middle East, Bahamas, the English Channel and the North Sea before becoming Senior River Pilot in the Port of London.
His talk traces maritime pilotage from the Phoenician times to today’s modern world of computers and satellite navigation, and takes a look behind the scenes on how a ship, be it a small tramp freighter or a colossal cruise liner, is handled and docked.