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
Rick Spilman
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
We have been posting about the ongoing East Coast tour by the Viking longship Draken Harald Hårfagre. Here is a lovely drone video by Ryan Smith of the longship as she departs Plymouth, MA bound for Rockland, ME. The 115 … Continue reading
The schooner Amistad is coming to PortSide NewYork, at Pier 11 in the Atlantic Basin, in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Amistad will tie up alongside the historic tanker, Mary A. Whalen, and will be available for free public tours on Tuesday, … Continue reading
At least 11 people died on Thursday when an amphibious duck boat capsized in Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. Six people are still missing. The boat capsized in a thunderstorm in winds reported to be 70 or 80 mph. … Continue reading
Salvors have announced the discovery of the wreck of the Russian armored cruiser, Dmitrii Donskoi, which was scuttled in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War following the Battle of Tsushima. The wreck was found in 1,400 feet of water about one … Continue reading
On Monday, the name “Hot Spot“ proved dangerously prophetic for a tour boat operating in waters off the coast of Kapoho on the Big Island of Hawaii. The tour boat was carrying about 49 passengers at around 6 AM, observing … Continue reading
Can Albania both protect and profit from the veritable treasure trove of shipwrecks, ancient and modern, which lie off its coast? Along a 220 stretch of the Ionian coast, there are dozens of wrecks dating from the 6th century B.C. through … Continue reading