Last month, researchers from the University of Washington released a study performed over four winters which recorded 184 bowhead whales singing beneath the ice in Greenland. What they found was remarkable. Kate Stafford and other UW oceanographers discovered that the … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The media has called the Russian floating nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov a “Floating Chernobyl” and a “Nuclear Titanic.” Is this just headline hyperbole? Or, is the barge-mounted 70-megawatt nuclear reactor a serious threat? It is hard to tell, which is scary … Continue reading
The saga of the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) continues. The ships were intended to be small, versatile and relatively inexpensive. So far they have succeeded only in being small. The Navy intends to have around 30 of these ships … Continue reading
A very interesting case was argued recently before the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Superior Court over a $75 fine issued to a boater for not having enough life jackets aboard his boat. The issue before the court, however, was not life jackets, … Continue reading
SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is the largest civilian sailing school vessel in the United States and the first ocean-going full-rigged ship to built in the U.S. in over 100 years. Her accommodations hold 32 people overnight in addition to her 17 professional … Continue reading
A new study has found record quantities of microplastics in sea ice. The study, published this week in Nature Communications, demonstrates “just how pervasive this type of pollution has become in every last corner of our planet,” says Melanie Bergmann, one of … Continue reading
Here is a short and beautiful video to end the week. The video by Paul Demonte features two historic vessels in New York harbor — the 1907 built tug Pegasus and the Hudson River railroad barge, Lehigh Valley No. 79, … Continue reading
A new race is being organized for 2019 and 2020 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Strait of Magellan in 1520. Dubbed the “Cape Horn Race,” it will have four legs: The Cape Horn Transat — Gibraltar … Continue reading
We have been following the grim saga of the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall since last August. Ms. Wall disappeared after going on a trip in Copenhagen harbor onboard Peter Madsen’s private submarine, UC3 Nautulis, as part of an interview. The … Continue reading
The extremely small ship Adventure sails on. Last year we posted about the Playmobil toy pirate ship, named Adventure, launched by brothers Ollie and Harry Ferguson, 9 and 6 years old, respectively, from the port of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After adding … Continue reading
Years ago, when I sailed briefly on tall ships, I heard that the two most at-risk groups when going aloft were total novices and the most experienced old hands. The novices knew little, while the experienced sailors grew complacent. This came to … Continue reading
I realize that I am in a rut. Every Earth Day, I say the same thing. Over 70% of the surface of this planet is covered by water, so referring to the planet as “earth” is just wrong. But be … Continue reading
Remember when Lord Horror-show Nelson defeated Napolean Cumberbatch at the Battle of Trafalgar Square? No? Good, because it never happened. Once again, here is an excerpt from Cunk on Britain, Episode 2, in which the clueless Philomena Cunk thoroughly mangles … Continue reading
The lobstermen of Maine are known for their independence. They don’t often ask for help. Like many other states, Maine has been struck hard by the opioid crisis. In many coastal communities, opioid addiction is taking a serious toll, particularly on lobstermen. How serious … Continue reading
On Tuesday, the 149 passengers on Southwest Airline’s Flight 1380 were shocked when about 20 minutes after takeoff from New York, the plane’s left engine exploded, blowing a hole in the fuselage. The rapid depressurization sucked one woman passenger partially out of … Continue reading
Researchers have located huge deposits of rare-earth metals in seabed mud off the Japanese island Minamitorishima, located 1,150 miles southeast of Tokyo. The discovery could have a major impact on both the Japanese and the world economy. Rare-earth metals are … Continue reading
Aerial surveys attempting to identify endangered right whales have spotted swarms of basking sharks, in groups from 30 to up to 1,400, swimming in the waters from Long Island to Nova Scotia. Researchers who study the normally solitary sharks are … Continue reading
The Flettner fleet is growing slowly but steadily. The LNG powered cruise ferry Viking Grace has become the latest commercial ship and the first passenger vessel to install a modern Flettner rotor sail. The 80-foot-tall rotor is expected to save … Continue reading
One hundred and six years ago today, the White Star liner Titanic sank after striking an iceberg. Over 1,500 lives were lost. Here is a repost from 2012 of Joseph Conrad’s commentary on the sinking. In June of 1912, Joseph Conrad wrote … Continue reading
Two short accounts of seals showing up in somewhat unexpected places. Recently, a large seal was spotted in York, in the UK, basking in the sun on the Yorkshire Dales. Apparently, the wayward seal swam 50 miles through Britain’s river network from the North … Continue reading