Imagine being put in charge of a vehicle weighing more than 100,000 tonnes, possibly carrying dangerous cargo, valued in the many millions of dollars. Among other things, you’re tasked with parking it neatly, without damage, in almost all weather conditions, including the notorious Lyttelton Harbour southerly gales.
Doing this involves an intricate foxtrot (one-two-three, one-two-three) between you and two tugs via shared VHF radio, pushing and tugging at a behemoth with inertia or momentum of a scale bigger than most people can wrap their heads around.
That’s the every-working-day life of Joanne Farmer, one of five port pilots at
