(Updated, July 2021) This painting records an incident at Liverpool on 8 February 1881 when the pilot schooner ‘Leader’ led a fleet of vessels safely over the bar during a heavy north-westerly gale. Navigating the entrance to Liverpool was hazardous for shipping because of the numerous sand banks, shifting sands and powerful tides of the Irish Sea. The pilots of the Port of Liverpool, with their extensive knowledge of the local sea conditions were therefore vital for shipping entering and leaving the port. The ‘Leader’, 76 feet long and fitted with 16-17 berths, was commanded by William Jones, who can be seen in the foreground on board on the right in the heavy swell. She flies the code flags 'L, W, C' which mean ‘Follow me’, as she charts a safe passage over the treacherous bar for the ships we can see in the distance on the left. The buoy shown in the foreground on the left is marked ‘Q1’ which signifies the starboard side outer buoy to the Queen’s Channel. The following year, along with all the Mersey pilot boats the 'Leader' was taken over from private ownership by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board.

The painting is signed and dated ‘W H Yorke 1899’. Other Liverpool artists who also commemorated the incident were Joseph Witham and Parker Greenwood. Versions by them are in the Merseyside Maritime Museum and elsewhere. Other picture titles for it usually include the phrase 'Follow me'.