It is brutally cold on the Northeast coast of the US right now. Temperatures are hovering around the 20s F (in negative digits measured when in Celcius) from Virgina to the Canadian border. It is so cold there are reports of sharks freezing. … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
This year’s Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race saw drama at both the start and the finish of the race. Indeed, the drama at the start determined who would be awarded the line honors at the finish. Let’s start with … Continue reading
One year ago, we posted that the schooner Mary E., the oldest surviving fishing schooner built at Bath, Maine would be returning home to the Kennebeck River where she was built in 1906. The Maine Maritime Museum purchased the schooner from her previous owner … Continue reading
The story of the Dutch East Indiaman Batavia is as grim and tragic as it is fascinating. The Batavia was wrecked on her maiden voyage in 1629 when she ran aground on Beacon Island off Western Australia. Of the original 341 passengers and … Continue reading
We hope that everyone is having a most merry Christmas. Here is a repost from 2014 of a poem by C. Fox Smith adapted for song by Charlie Ipcar. Cecily Fox Smith was a Victorian poet best remembered for her poems about … Continue reading
Spirobranchus giganteus are beautiful underwater creatures, only about 1.5 inches tall, which look like tiny decorated Christmas trees. They are almost too attractive to be described as what they are, tube-building polychaete worms. They are, however, often referred to as … Continue reading
When a hurricane approaches, there are only two choices for the crew of a yacht — either get out of the hurricane’s path, which may or may not be possible and can be very risky, or to hunker down in … Continue reading
After being lost for 103 years, the wreck of Australia’s first submarine, HMAS AE1, has finally been located in almost 1,000 feet of water east of Rabaul, not far from Duke of York Islands in Papua New Guinea. The submarine, built in the Vickers … Continue reading
Happy Winter Solstice to all! In the northern hemisphere, today is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun is at its southernmost point of travel, over the imaginary circle on the globe we refer to … Continue reading
Up to 80% of illicit drugs enter the US by maritime routes. (We recently posted about the ongoing battle against cocaine being imported into the US by narco submarines.) Here is another example, although it does not involve submersibles. It … Continue reading
A few photos from an evening walk at New York’s South Street Seaport. … Continue reading
Congratulations to Francois Gabart who just set a new record for sailing around the world single-handed. The 34-year old Gabart sailed his 30 meter (98 foot) long MACIF maxi-trimaran around the globe alone in a remarkable 42 days, 16 hours, 40 minutes … Continue reading
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the heir to the Saudi throne, has notionally been leading a sweeping crackdown on corruption and self-enrichment. This has not stopped him from making some rather impressive purchases himself. Two years ago, the prince purchased, through intermediaries, Chateau Louis … Continue reading
On November 13, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter intercepted a self-propelled submersible loaded with over 3,800 pounds of cocaine in international waters off the coast of Panama. All three suspects will face charges in the U.S. The crew of three was … Continue reading
The third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Cape Town to Melbourne has subjected the fleet to the fury of the Southern Ocean. With steady winds of 50 knots with gusts to over 60, the seven boats have been surfing … Continue reading
A disturbing video of a shark being dragged backward at high speeds behind a motorboat off the Gulf Coast of Florida hit the internet this summer. Now, three men behind the video may be facing prison time. The Miami Herald identifies … Continue reading
The Sunderland Tall Ships Festival is projected to attract m ore than 1.5 million people next July. For those of us lying awake at night wondering what we should wear to the event, designer Kathryn Russell has at least one … Continue reading
North Atlantic right whales are among the rarest of marine mammals. Only about 450 of the whales are thought to exist. In 2017 alone an estimated 17 right whales have died while only 5 whales are believed to have been … Continue reading
The Sailing Anarchy blog has posted a note from Rob Densem, General Manager of Farrier Marine, of Christchurch, NZ.: It is with a heavy heart that I tell you Ian Farrier passed away in San Francisco on his way back from the … Continue reading
We are pleased to learn that the Old Salt Blog has been ranked 14th in Feedspot’s Top 50 Oceanic Blogs and Websites on the Web. The criteria for selection were: Google reputation and Google search ranking Influence and popularity on Facebook, … Continue reading