 The general rule of thumb is that a pilot assumes command of a vessel and is not classed as "an advisor" in the Panama Canal, crossing the sill of a drydock, or in any port in Russia (or, perhaps, all the old Soviet states).This distinction is important because when a pilot is in command, the master can not take any action, but is limited to advising the pilot on any circumstance that creates what he considers a dangerous situation.In the days before mechanical propulsion, an able seaman was expected to be able to "hand, and reef, and steer".