Photo by: Sean McCambridge
Getting There
Taken from the south end of Waterfront Park near South Adgers Wharf.
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Pilot boat by Waterfront Park
September 12, 2009
The Charleston pilot boat Fort Moultrie flies an American flag on the afternoon of September 11, 2009.
Pilot boats bring harbor pilots to large ships before they come into the harbor. Because the pilots know the local waters extremely well, the ships they guide stay safe and avoid the shifting Lowcountry sand and mud.
Harbor pilots date back to the early days of shipping. The Spirit of South Carolina, a schooner based in Charleston, was modeled after an old pilot boat.
In the old days, pilot boats had to be fast since the first boat to meet the ship got the job. Today, the business is not so competitive, and there is only one fleet of harbor pilots based in Charleston.
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