The Bajau people of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia have lived for centuries at sea as hunter-gatherer nomads. They can spend up to five hours a day underwater, diving for fish, octopus and other seafood. The Bajau do not use any … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Two hundred and four years ago this week, in a three day battle, the militia at Stonington, CT drove off a four ship Royal Navy flotilla during the War of 1812. Here is lightly edited repost about the battle from July … Continue reading
Lieutenant Randolph M. Prince, known as “Kaz,” had a pretty slick arrangement. “Kaz” was a supply officer in Virginia Beach, VA. Through friends, he set up sham companies which would be awarded government contracts by Prince. He would generate all the necessary paperwork and certify … Continue reading
Florida is being clobbered by a double algae disaster, a virtual algae apocalypse. Red tide, caused by karenia brevis algae is decimating sea life in the Gulf’s salt waters, while blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, is poisoning South Florida’s inland fresh … Continue reading
Congratulations to Bryce Carlson who shattered the record for rowing solo, unsupported, from west-to-east across the North Atlantic. He completed the roughly 2,000-mile row from St. John’s, Newfoundland to St. Mary’s Harbor, in the Isles of Scilly in just 38 days, 6 hours … Continue reading
In 2012, we posted about a sighting one of the first adult all white orca whales in the western North Pacific near the Kamchatka Peninsula. The observation was reported by Erich Hoyt, co-founder of the Far East Russia Orca Project. The rare … Continue reading
There is a serious crisis at our border. No, not the Southern border, where crossings are at close to a 50 year low. I am referring to our Northern border, the Arctic Sea, where the US has only one heavy icebreaker, … Continue reading
Happy 228th Birthday to the United States Coast Guard! The Coast Guard is the oldest maritime service in the US government and somehow always succeeds in doing the most with the very least. The United States Coast Guard was established as the … Continue reading
Last weekend, two men and a woman carrying a toddler stole a two-foot-long gray horned shark from an aquarium in San Antonio, TX. They wrapped the shark in a blanket, shoved it in a plastic bucket and hid the bucket in … Continue reading
The Coast Guard has begun a high-level investigation into the recent duck boat capsize and sinking on July 19th, which cost the lives of 17 aboard. The boat, designated as Stretch Duck 07, which sank on Table Rock Lake, near Branson, … Continue reading
This sounds like a scene from a 1960 or 1970s “caper” movie. Around mid-day on Tuesday, two men walked into a medieval cathedral in Strangnas, in broad daylight, stole part of the Swedish crown jewels, and then escaped across a lake by … Continue reading
I was fortunate enough to be able to stop by the schooner Amistad last week when she tied up alongside Portside NewYork’s tanker Mary A. Whalen in the historic Atlantic Basin in Redhook, Brooklyn. She is a beautiful schooner with an … Continue reading
The top two spots in the Clipper Round the World Race were, for the first time, won by women. Australian Wendy Tuck has become the first female skipper to win the Clipper Round-the-World race. British skipper Nikki Henderson, 25, came in … Continue reading
In 1565, Captain Jean Ribault sailed from France with ships and 800 settlers to resupply and reinforce the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now the state of Florida. The French colony was being threatened by the Spanish … Continue reading
Spain’s S-80 Plus submarine is an advanced design featuring Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), which is reported to have cost around € 1 billion. The original design came in overweight, so it necessary to lengthen the submarine by 10 meters. Now, it appears that the newly … Continue reading
It has been a challenging Friday, so we might as well end it with some slightly educational humor. Here is another of the wonderful “True Facts About …” series. In this case “True Facts About the Cuttle Fish.” True Facts About … Continue reading
This Friday there will be a total eclipse of the moon. The eclipse will be total in much of Africa, the Middle East, and India, while Europe, the rest of Asia and most of South America will see a partial … Continue reading
Every year, thousands of people join in on a canoe journey across the Pacific Northwest to celebrate traditional Native American culture. The long paddle includes multiple stops hosted by local tribes along the route. This year’s journey is called Power … Continue reading
We are a few days late in celebrating AMVER‘s 60th birthday. Originally called the Atlantic Merchant Vessel Emergency Reporting System, AMVER became operational on July 18, 1958. When it expanded beyond the Atlantic, the name was changed to the Automated … Continue reading
As part of the continuing Erie Canal Bicentennial celebration, the Waterfront Alliance is sponsoring a harbor tour on August 2. During the tour, I will be providing commentary and narration on the enormous impact that the Erie Canal has had on … Continue reading