What’s in a name? Google has renamed a shoal located between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon island in the South China Sea on their maps as Scarborough Shoal. They had previously identified the hazard to navigation by its Chinese name, … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The sketch comedy team of Key and Peele have come up with what may be the very first feminist pirate song, examining issues of respect, equality and consent, as sung by a bunch of scurvy sea dogs. (It is just … Continue reading
Seaworld continues to be bitten by the “Blackfish effect.” In October of 2013, CNN aired “Blackfish,” a scathing documentary which looked at the almost 40 year history of orcas in captivity, leading up to the killing of SeaWorld trainer Dawn … Continue reading
We recently reviewed Linda Collison’s Water Ghosts and called it “an absolutely gripping paranormal nautical adventure.” From July 18th — 25th. Linda will be giving away ten copies of her book on Goodreads. Click here to learn more. … Continue reading
Was the wreck of three-masted bark, Annie C. Maguire, which very conveniently wrecked at Portland Head Light on Christmas Eve 1886, simply an insurance scam? It is said that the ship wrecked so close to the light that the lighthouse … Continue reading
In 2012, Shell’s attempt to drill in the Chukchi Sea in the Alaska’s Arctic proved to be an expensive and dangerous farce, featuring groundings, equipment failures, explosions and citations for safety violations. Returning two years later with an flotilla of 29 ships, Shell’s … Continue reading
Congratulations to Captain Kate McCue. This August, she will take command of the Celebrity Summit, sailing from Bermuda from the East Coast. She will be the first American woman to command a large cruise ship. The Celebrity Summit is a 91,000-ton ship which can carry … Continue reading
We posted last April that the hospital ship USNS Comfort has deployed on Continuing Promise 2015, a five month mission to eleven nations in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Not all has gone well. On July 9, as reported by the Navy Times, … Continue reading
Belfast hosted the Tall Ships Belfast 2015 from July 2-5. It sounds like a great success. As reported by the Belfast Telegraph: The fleet of 46 sailing vessels drew record crowds to Belfast, making it one of the biggest events … Continue reading
A new musical is coming to Broadway this summer, which features a ship’s captain and stage sets with lots of ship’s rigging. It is based on the story of Captain John Newton and the song Amazing Grace. The musical is described: … Continue reading
A beautifully shot drone video of Tall Ships Greenport 2015 from July 6th, featuring the French frigate l‘Hermione; Delaware’s Tall Ship”, Kalmar Nyckel; the Portuguese Navy’s Sagres III; the privateer Lynx; and New Jersey’s Tall Ship, A.J. Meerwald. Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing … Continue reading
I am very pleased to learn that my latest novel, The Shantyman, is being featured as one of Kirkus’ Indie Books of the Month for August. The Kirkus starred review from last June, called The Shantyman …a fabulously gripping sailor’s yarn. … Continue reading
This is only marginally nautical, although it does begin and end on a beautiful sailboat. Mostly is it merely silly and yet it is kind of fun. A bit of over-the-top marketing for Johnny Walker Blue, it is a short … Continue reading
Today I went aboard El Galeon Andalusia, at South Street Seaport. The ship is billed as “a 170 foot, 495 ton, authentic wooden replica of a galleon that was part of Spain’s West Indies fleet.” It is a intriguing ship that has … Continue reading
Recently, sharks and the internet have begun to interact. On the Atlantic coast, shark researchers have been tagging great white sharks, allowing thousands of internet fans to watch their travels across the world’s oceans on the web. On the other … Continue reading
Last week provided a rare opportunity to glimpse over 400 years of sailing ship history in three ships, tied up almost side by side, at New York’s South Street Seaport. Berthed on the south side of Pier 15, El Galeon Andalucia is a replica of a … Continue reading
On a nearly windless, overcast and rainy morning, the French replica frigate l’Hermione led an impressive flotilla of every sort of craft from very large yachts to jet skis, from below the Verazzano Narrow’s Bridge through the inner harbor and … Continue reading
Last March we posted “Will Prince Albert of Monaco Save Cousteau’s Calypso?” sadly, the answer to the question appears to be, “no.” Earlier in March, following a long legal battle, a French court ruled, that Francine Cousteau, the second wife of the … Continue reading
On a hot and hazy afternoon, I stopped by l’Hermione, the replica French frigate docked at Pier 15 at South Street Seaport. A few photographs. … Continue reading
This morning, the replica French frigate l’Hermione arrived in New York harbor and was welcomed by American and French officials, led by French Minister Ségolène Royal and Mayor of Rochefort Hervé Blanché at Pier 15 at the South Street Seaport on the … Continue reading