Maidentrip — A Documentary of Laura Dekker’s Epic Voyage

I recently watched Maidentrip, a wonderful, award winning documentary by Jillian Schlesinger about 14 year old Laura Dekker‘s almost two year solo circumnavigation on her Jeaneau Gin Fizz ketch, Guppy.  It is a fascinating tale about young sailor’s coming of age … Continue reading

Engine Room Fire on Carnival Liberty Cuts Short Trip — Chronic Cruise Ship Problem Continues

Last Sunday, a fire broke out in the engine room of the 3,299 passenger Carnival Liberty after docking in Saint Thomas.  The passengers were disembarked and the fire was extinguished with the ship’s automated fire fighting system.  No injuries were reported. The damage was … Continue reading

Cutter Lilac Returns to Staten Island as Star of Commericial

In her long and varied career, the historic cutter Lilac has had many jobs. She served as a lighthouse and buoy tender — bringing supplies to lighthouse and maintaining aids to navigation. She also fought ship fires and rescued the keepers on … Continue reading

Wasn’t That a Mighty Storm — Remembering the Deadly 1900 Galveston Hurricane

One hundred and fifteen years ago today, on September 8, 1900, the city of Galveston Texas was struck by what today would be classified as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 145 mph and a storm surge of 14 feet. Somewhere … Continue reading

Schooners Columbia, American Eagle & Lettie G. Howard Race at Gloucester

This weekend, the 31st Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival was held, culminating in the Mayor’s Cup Schooner Race.  The Esperanto Cup, representing the large schooners, was won by the schooner Columbia, built in 2014, a steel replica of the W. Starling Burgess designed … Continue reading

French Bomber of Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior Apologizes 30 Years Later

On July 10, 1985, agents of the French government planted mines and blew up Greenpeace‘s Rainbow Warrior  in the port of Auckland, New Zealand to prevent the ship to be used to protest a planned French nuclear test in Moruroa. Fernando Pereira, a photographer, drowned … Continue reading

A Question of Priorities — Icebreakers vs Aircraft Carriers

Paradoxically, the decreasing polar ice cap has increased the need for icebreakers. As the ice diminishes, traffic has increased above the Arctic Circle, making the need for icebreaking to assist in transit or respond to emergencies ever more important.  On his … Continue reading