r iver runs de e p
A DAY I N THE LI F E OF A
Cape Fear River Pilot
BY ROBERT REHDER
THE boat Pilot II is running fast out to sea, riding rough
through a stiff onshore wind. Her 500-horsepower, twin
diesel engines purr as she passes the distant Bald Head
Island Lighthouse.
Off her port bow, Frying Pan Shoals sparkle and flash
in the morning light, their raw beauty at once spellbind-ing
and ominous. Ragged waves burst in clouds of spray shooting high
above the ocean surface. Savage currents tear through the shoals with a
sound like ripping cloth. Off the starboard bow, a boiling cluster of bars
and sloughs known as Jaybird Shoals rises menacingly from the depths.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF WILMINGTON CAPE FEAR PILOTS ASSOCIATION
Left: A Cape Fear River pilot navigates the river heading outbound from the
Port of Wilmington toward Bald Head Island and Fort Caswell. Above: Based
in Southport, the pilots rendezvous with ships day and night.
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