Tom Cunliffe – “The Life and Times of the Shell Channel Pilot” – Feb 2022

Tom Cunliffe is a familiar speaker to the Club, and for good reason. Unlike last year, Tom was able to return to speak in person this time around, with the topic of choice being the development of the Shell Channel Pilot – a book well known by many.

Tom gave an excellent, and highly entertaining talk, about the origins of the Pilot guide, through to his current stewardship. We learned of the headaches involved in exploring some of the less navigable harbours, as well as the challenges of clothing that doesn’t fit. Tom’s memory of information about water-depth levels from harbour masters struck a chord with some Newbury members, who’ve experienced the same issue…

10th February 2022