Boarding Information

The pilot boat Nemesis is an 8m long RIB, orange in colour with a cruising speed of 23 knots in calm weather. In any moderate sea the pilot boat’s speed will be more like 15 Knots.

The pilot boat is fitted with a Class B AIS transponder ID Number 512000018.

The pilot boat leaves the Waikawa Bay berth around 45 minutes before the prearranged boarding time. The pilot will be listening on Channels 19 and 16 VHF and looking for your ship on the radar and chartplotter AIS display.

Ships arriving at the Northern entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound normally board their pilot in the charted position 41° 05.95'S 174° 17.23'E. In some cases the pilot will agree to board inside the sound. Ships should not proceed beyond the boarding area until they have received instructions from the pilot on VHF specifying where the pilot will board.

Ships arriving at Tory Channel always board their pilot outside the entrance, usually at the charted position 41° 13.5'S 174° 19.79'E or sometimes in a more sheltered position specified by the pilot. The presence of frequent ferry traffic through Tory Channel entrance makes it very important that the ship follows the boarding instructions given by the pilot.