Washington Puget Sound Pilots – As we were making our way up the Puget Sound, on our way to Alaska’s Inside Passage aboard the Norwegian Pearl, I spied this red and white boat headed lickety-split towards our ship off the port side.

Enjoying the red and white reflections in the water, and its contrast to the blue waters, I grabbed the Nikon D7000 and captured this photograph using the 80-400 zoom.

Once I captured the photograph, however, I began to wonder what this “pilot” boat was all about.

With a little research on the Internet, I learned that the Puget Sound Pilots are there to “protect the marine environment, economy, and security of Washington State through the safe navigation of vessels on Puget Sound and adjacent waterways”.

More than eight thousand times a year, PSP members board oil tankers, cargo vessels and cruise ships to guide them safely through difficult passages, tricky currents, and congested shipping lanes. The Pilots dock these vessels in Puget Sound ports and return them to the open sea.

You learn something new every day!