In May 2015, we posted that the State of Hawaii has put the Friends of Falls of Clyde, the organization responsible for rescuing the historic ship of the same name, on notice that the state planned to terminate the permit … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Seventy-two years ago today, during the early days of the Allied invasion of Europe, the sea would prove to be as formidable an enemy as the Germans. A storm, the worst in 80 years, came close to wiping out the … Continue reading
Guirec Soudée, a 24 year old sailor, has spent the last two years sailing the globe with a female chicken named Monique. Soudée began the cruise in the Canary Islands in May 2014, sailing to St. Barts in the Caribbean and … Continue reading
Last week, Repsol, the last of a group oil companies which had invested billions of dollars in Arctic drilling rights in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea, abandoned its leases and sailed away. The Spanish drilling company gave up 55 leases and plans … Continue reading
Defending New York Harbor: The City’s Waterfront Forts is an exhibit of photographs by Richard W. Golden which documents the fortifications that protectively ring New York Harbor. It is on view at the historic Cutter Lilac through July 31st during regular … Continue reading
The RMS St Helena, the last true Royal Mail Ship, recently departed from the UK on its final voyage for its namesake island. St. Helena, which lies around 1,150 miles off the coast of Angola in the South Atlantic, is the most … Continue reading
One hundred and twelve years ago today, the disaster on the General Slocum resulted in one of the largest loss of life in New York City prior to the attacks of 9/11/01. At around 9AM on June 15, 1904, approximately 1,350 passengers, … Continue reading
I am looking forward to going the Working Harbor Committee’s Hidden Harbor Tour of Gowanus Bay. It will be lead by Captain Margaret Flanagan, Maritime Operations, Waterfront Alliance & Joseph Alexiou, tour guide and author of “Gowanus Brooklyn’s Curious Canal” and will … Continue reading
Sad news. The Götheborg, a replica of an 18th-century Swedish East Indiaman, is for sale. The Ostindiefararen Götheborg Foundation which owns the ship says it can no longer afford to run the replica, which is one of the world’s largest operational wooden sailing … Continue reading
The upscale supermarket, Whole Foods, is taking an innovative approach to countering the spread of an invasive species of fish in Florida. They offering lionfish for sale. It is sort of a “if you can’t beat’em, eat’em” approach to managing … Continue reading
This sounds like a great opportunity for licensed deckhands. The Sailing School Vessel (SSV) Oliver Hazard Perry is looking for crew. From their recent announcement: Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) is seeking to hire licensed deckhands for its brand new 200-foot … Continue reading
Once again, the media is reporting a story of the discovery of a shipwreck which sounds very familiar. Recently, the Independent reported: “The wreckage of a 500-year-old Portuguese ship filled with gold coins has been unearthed by miners in a … Continue reading
Naval ships are very expensive to build and operate and in the best of all possible worlds would never be used. Nevertheless, they exist for a purpose. Recently, while taking part in commemorations for the Battle of Jutland centenary, HMS Kent intercepted … Continue reading
I am never sure what to make of the yearly “World Oceans Day.” On a world where 71% of the globe is covered by oceans and where oceans contain 99 percent of the living space on the planet, shouldn’t every day be … Continue reading
On Saturday, July 23rd, the National Maritime Historical Society will unveil a headstone at the previously unmarked grave of legendary naval architect John W. Griffiths. The ceremony will take place in Queens at the Linden Hill United Methodist Cemetery at … Continue reading
The Hawaiian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa was officially welcomed to New York yesterday morning in ceremonies in North Cove on the Hudson River. The voyaging canoe and her crew, in the third year of an epic voyage around the world, were greeted … Continue reading
One hundred years today, on June 5, 1916, Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, drowned when the HMS Hampshire sank in the North Sea off the Orkneys. Of the 655 crewmen and 7 passengers, including Lord Kitchener, aboard … Continue reading
The UK’s University of Strathclyde won the top prize in the third Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s Student Design Competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry. The $5,0000 USD award for the design was presented by Bekir Sitki Ustaoglu, Asia Pacific chief of the … Continue reading
The historic lighthouse tender Lilac is hosting a literary salon to celebrate World Oceans Day. From their press release: One Grand Books has organized a literary evening on board the museum ship Lilac to mark World Oceans Day, a global … Continue reading
Continuing her epic voyage around the globe, the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa will officially make her arrival in New York harbor on Sunday, June 5th. She will dock at North Cove Marina in Manhattan on the Hudson River at 9:00 a.m., followed by … Continue reading