Happy Trafalgar Day! Today is the 210th anniversary of the overwhelming Royal Navy victory over the French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. After considerable research, Admiral Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory has now been repainted to more accurately … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
NASSCO Shipyard in San Diego delivered Isla Bella, the world’s first LNG-powered container ship to TOTE Maritime. The 3100 TEU 764-foot long ship, the first of two 764-foot long Marlin Class container ships, should dramatically decrease emissions and increase fuel efficiency … Continue reading
On October 9th, the schooner Phoenix dragged her anchor in a storm in Port Townsend harbor, Washington. She ended up sinking, holed on the rocks of the breakwater. The good news is that, after a week underwater, the schooner was … Continue reading
The recent rain in the Carolinas has been close to unprecedented. Meteorologists have referred to it as the “1,000-year rainfall.” Another way to describe it is that it was “enough rain to float a battleship.” In this case, however, that … Continue reading
Mark McCracken was out fishing for bonito half a mile off Gaviota State Beach, near Santa Barbara, when a hammerhead shark started bumping and circling his kayak. Mark, to his credit, didn’t panic, paddled toward shore and kept striking the shark … Continue reading
L. Francis Herreshoff was the son of naval architect, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff and the father of yacht designer and naval architect Halsey Herreshoff. L. Francis was widely respected as was a boat designer, naval architect, editor and author of books and … Continue reading
Yacht designer Halsey Herreshoff at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, Rhode Island, describing how his grandfather Nathanael Greene Herreshoff carved rather than drew the boats that he designed. The more interesting question may not be how Captain Nat carved … Continue reading
When Nathanael Green Herreshoff was around 16, he began to work for his elder brother, John Brown Herreshoff, in his boat yard in Bristol, RI. To work as an apprentice was a traditional way to learn the skills and techniques … Continue reading
In 1859, 18 year old John Brown Herreshoff of Bristol Rhode Island, accepted his first commission to design and build a yacht. The fact that J.B., as he was known, was blind, having lost his sight at 15, didn’t seem to … Continue reading
For the next five days, we will be posting about the amazing legacy of the Herreshoff family on American yacht design and construction. Today we begin with the restoration of the yacht Doris, the first yacht built to the Universal … Continue reading
Drivers on Interstate 95 in Connecticut may have been surprised recently to see the 78-foot, wooden yacht Doris traveling by trailer down the highway, on her way to restoration and a new life. The 1905 built sloop is believed to be the … Continue reading
I will be out of the range of the internet for a few days, so I apologize if I am slower than usual responding to comments and emails. I will be in the Amazon Basin of Peru on the river boat, M/V … Continue reading
I happened to come across an absolutely magnificent video by Pierre Henkart. Beautiful video and editing of the Pride under sail as well as great shots of sail handling by the crew. Definitely worth the 5 minutes and 40 seconds to watch. … Continue reading
Hayley and Rob entertain belugas with a cello concert in Churchill Sound, Manitoba, Canada. Cello concert for belugas More video, after the page break. … Continue reading
This summer, the French 60′ foiling trimaran Hydroptere sailed 2215 nautical miles from Los Angeles to Hawaii. The winds were not favorable and the passage was not terribly fast at about 11 days, compared to the four day record set by the 110-foot … Continue reading
Maersk Line has posted a 3-minute time lapse of the M/V Adrian Maersk, 6,000 TEUs, passing through the newly expanded New Suez Canal. As reported in Maritime Executive: The New Suez Canal was inaugurated by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in a ceremony … Continue reading
In January 2014, we posted Saildrone Sails the Pacific, about a 19′ long by 7′ wide autonomous trimaran sailing drone capable of carrying an oceanographic sensor payload of 220 pounds. In October of 2013, Saildrone-1 set off from San Francisco and arrived 34 days … Continue reading
El Faro was often referred to in the media as a container ship. It is an easy mistake to make as the file photos showed her carrying stacks of containers on the main deck. El Faro, ex-Puerto Rico, ex-Northern Lights, was built … Continue reading
In a statement this morning, the US Coast Guard says that they believe that El Faro, which disappeared last Thursday while blacked out in the path of Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin, has sunk. Coast Guard Capt. Mark Fedor said that they are now focusing on … Continue reading
Update: From USCG Update 4 — Life jackets, life rings, containers and an oil sheen have been located by Coast Guard aircrews. The objects have not been confirmed to be from the El Faro at this time. Yesterday, the US Coast Guard … Continue reading