For many people, driving their own yacht around isn’t part of the experience, they’re just there to be out on the water, have privacy, and travel in a really luxurious manner. Even so, the boat doesn’t drive itself (yet), so the only choice they have is to hire a pilot for their yacht. There are a number of benefits for people making this choice, as well as some things which are sure to deter many.

Ship pilots are reasonably well paid, so you will have to expect to pay a lot of money for their services. This is okay for some, but probably not for most.

They are well trained, and have all of the necessary expertise to drive your yacht. This means that you don’t have to take a course on piloting your boat; you can just leave it all to them. Even if you do learn to pilot your boat, you still won’t have as much experience as them, so the risks are greater as well.

If you have learned to pilot your boat, you still can’t gain all of their experience over night. There are numerous issues which may arise on a boat voyage, and having somebody with experience present, able to offer valuable advice on plotting courses, and avoiding dangerous weather, is invaluable.