THE PILOT CUTTER

Ships sailing in from the Atlantic heading towards the rocky coasts of Cornwall eagerly sought local knowledge – hence the need for pilots. In all and any weathers, the Cornish seamen were taken out to sea ready to be put aboard to guide the ships in. Over the centuries, Cornish Pilot Cutters evolved to survive and sail in some of the wildest conditions of the seafaring world.

Pilot cutters were built to be fast and the competition was fierce with pilots sailing their boats from Falmouth and the Scillies out into the Atlantic in search of ships to see which to be the first one to get a man aboard the advancing ships. Each Pilot Cutter could carry 8 pilots and stayed at sea until all the pilots were aboard the incoming ships.