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Our Role
The pilots of the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots play a crucial role in the safety of maritime transportation on the St. Lawrence River between Les Escoumins and Quebec City, as well as on the Saguenay River. As they are the first to board a ship as it enters Canadian waters, their role is all the more important, as they must notify the authorities if a vessel does not comply with Canadian safety standards. Moreover, they are fully acquainted with the dangers inherent to this majestic and very important river: its shoals, its currents and its difficult navigating conditions, making their expertise essential for guiding any ship that transits the river.
The oldest pilots’ association in Canada, the Corporation of Pilots for and below the Harbour of Quebec, was created in 1860. In 1960, the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots took over the helm, furthering the mission of the first corporation.
The Corporation administers its own education and training program to persons looking to become a pilot using, among other things, an ultramodern navigation simulator.
Our History
River of a thousand shoals
The St. Lawrence River is far from easy to navigate. The first navigators discovered the many shoals that nature had left along its route. It was into the unknown, at their own risks and perils, that the first navigators ventured into the gulf, then the estuary and finally the river.
1608
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From the foundation of Quebec by Champlain in 1608, more and more ships started to ferry between New France and the motherland. It was becoming ever more important to ensure the safety of navigation on the river. Even as detailed maps were drawn up to help captains, the French refused to set up aids to navigation such as lighthouses or buoys which could have been used by the English during an invasion by river. There was no question of helping show them the way!
This strategy proved particularly effective in 1711 when Admiral Murray saw a large part of his English fleet run aground close to Île-aux-Œufs!
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1640
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The solution: pilotage
A solution was needed to protect the vessels and crews that would sail the St. Lawrence. And so colony administrators turned to experienced pilots, who knew the dangers along the river, to guide ships. Around 1640, Abraham Martin, for whom the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City were named, became the first King’s Pilot on the St. Lawrence River.
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1671
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In 1671, the Jesuit College of Quebec inaugurated the first courses to train maritime pilots in the art of navigating the St. Lawrence River. After the conquest, the English administrators continued the tradition of entrusting the fate of ships to maritime pilots.
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| 1805 |
In 1805, the Parliament of Lower Canada founded a public corporation called Trinity House of Quebec. Its responsibility was to improve navigation efficiency and safety by installing buoys, beacons and lighthouses. It equally had jurisdiction over pilotage regulations, pilots and apprentice training.
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| Before 1860 |
Fierce competition with dramatic consequences
At that age a river pilot was an independent seaman in competition with other pilots. He owned his own sloop and went out on the river – sometimes in difficult weather – to reach a ship before others were ready to get on the river.
Due to the fierce competition between pilots, many lives were lost and many sloops and schooners went down in poor weather conditions. As a result, between 1819 and 1855, a total of 129 people – pilots, apprentices and hired ship hands lost their lives in the icy waters of the river.
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1860
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The oldest pilot's association in North America
On May 19, 1860, the Parliament of United Canada granted a charter of incorporation to the 250 pilots of the time to form the Corporation of Pilots for and below the Harbour of Quebec. Membership in this organization was mandatory for all pilots, thus abolishing free competition and replacing it with a rotating duty assignment.
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1960
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A century later, on May 9, 1960, a federal charter was granted to a group of 90 pilots in the District of Quebec, who thus formed the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots.
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Historian Jean Leclerc has published a number of documents on the history of The Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots.
Territory Served
Pilots of the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots have the responsibility of safely transiting ships in District No. 2 of the Laurentian region – the oldest region in Canada – that includes the section of the St. Lawrence River from Les Escoumins to the Port of Quebec. They equally assume piloting duties on the Saguenay River. This represents a continuous pilotage route of 123 miles for a voyage between Quebec and Les Escoumins and of 172 miles for a voyage between Quebec and Port-Alfred, which make them among the longest routes in the world!
More precisely, according to the Laurentian Pilotage Authority, this district includes all waters between a line drawn across the St. Lawrence River at Longitude 71°20' W. and a line bearing 121° (True) and drawn across the St. Lawrence River at Latitude 48°20'48" N., Longitude 69°23'24" W., including the Saguenay River.
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The Simulator: An Indispensable Training Tool
To help complete its pilot training, the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots has acquired an ultramodern navigation simulator that reproduces, among other things, a wheelhouse with 330 degree vision. This simulator realistically recreates sailing conditions on the river, including its coasts, sea-beds, currents and landmarks.
A licensed or an aspiring pilot training at the centre can test various navigation conditions, simulate emergency situations, train for special manoeuvres or become familiarized with navigational instruments, which can differ from one ship to another.
The simulator can reproduce any region or port in the world. As well, several wheelhouses can be worked in concert, allowing a number of pilots to use the simulator at the same time to recreate conditions where more than one ship can be found in the same area at the same time. |
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