The Port of Tampa was recently closed by the US Coast Guard due to heavy sea fog. A dozen ships, including the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Brilliance of the Seas, were delayed offshore for almost two days. Another ten ships were unable … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The Working Harbor Committee blog posted today, Keep Off the Ice! The post begins begins: The Hudson PD issued a warning for people to stay off the frozen river in Hudson, N.Y. after security cameras at the Hudson Boat Launch … Continue reading
A quick quiz — you are the captain of a 39′ fast sports fishing boat with six passengers and a heavy sea fog has just set in. You either lack or are paying no attention to electronic navigational aides. What do … Continue reading
My new novel, The Shantyman, is now available as a paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is also available as an ebook on Amazon. About The Shantyman: He can save the ship and the crew, but can he save himself? … Continue reading
What’s a Fireboat Whoop-Dee-Do? I am not entirely sure but it sounds like fun. It is a fundraiser for the historic fireboat John J Harvey on Monday, Mar. 16th, 6:00-9:00 at Tribeca 360, 10 Desbrosses Street, just south of Canal Street in Mahnhattan. It … Continue reading
The US and Canadian Coast Guards have been working jointly to free the iconic Great Lakes bulk carrier, SS Arthur M. Anderson, stuck in the ice in Lake Erie near Conneaut Harbor. The laker had been bound for Sturgeon Bay, WI when it … Continue reading
Six sport divers from a local club were scuba diving in the ancient Roman harbor of Caesarea in Israel, when one of them spotted a small tiny coin, which the diver thought looked like a toy coin from a game of some sort. On … Continue reading
Sometimes the way the media reports a story about nautical history can be almost as interesting as the story itself. Near the end of last month, archaeologists examining artifacts discovered on the wreck of the pirate Blackbeard’s flag ship, the … Continue reading
A recent article in Atlantic Monthly pointed out that Apple, the technology company, not the fruit, is now, in economic terms, the size of a small country. The world’s largest company with a market capitalization of $700 billion, it is … Continue reading
In the east side of New York harbor, the New York State side, the lowly oyster is a hero. Not only will restored oyster beds help filter and clean the water of the harbor, they could also play a critical … Continue reading
The weather is bitterly cold here on the west bank of the Hudson River, so it seems like as good a time as any to look toward the warmer waters of the Antipodes. A video from the Spirit of Adventure … Continue reading
In 2012, we posted about the collision between the passenger ferry Sea Smooth and the ferry Lamma IV off Hong Kong near Lama Island. The collision killed 39, all passengers on the Lamma IV . The Lamma IV was carrying staff and family members of … Continue reading
It is currently around 18 degrees F on the west bank of the Hudson River, but with the wind chill the figures are somewhere in the negative numbers. It seems appropriate, therefore, to post this wonderful video, shot by an … Continue reading
Happy Valentine’s Day! The day is named for one of several martyrs named Valentine. Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni both have feast days on February 14th. The day is also associated with an old Roman fertility festival Lupercalia. February … Continue reading
Edward Heerema, the president of Swiss-based Allseas Group S.A., had decided to name their newest and largest ship, Pieter Schelte, after his father, Pieter Schelte Heerema, who was an accomplished marine engineer. Unfortunately, that is not the only thing that his … Continue reading
In 1799, Eleanor Reid was only 21 and newly married to Captain Hugh Reid, commander of the Honorable East India Company extra ship Friendship. It was her husband’s first command and he was under orders to carry a cargo of Irish convicts, the … Continue reading
After a 19 month trial, Captain Francesco Schettino has been found guilty of manslaughter associated with the grounding and sinking of the Costa Concordia in 2012 in which 32 passengers and crew died. Another 150 passengers and crew were injured. … Continue reading
I recently saw an ad titled, “Endeavour Yacht for Sale,” from a high-end yacht broker. It caught my attention because I owned, sailed and lived aboard an Endeavour 32 sloop, a few decades ago. It seemed unlikely, however, that the … Continue reading
Award winning author Joan Druett recently interviewed V.E. Ulett, author of the Blackwell’s Adventure series, on her World of the Written Word blog. Reposted with permission. The author of the rousing historical Blackwell series kindly consented to allow me to … Continue reading
The Hardtackers Shanty Crew put out a fine new promotional video just a week or two before the publication of my new novel, The Shantyman. The events are unrelated but feel fortuitous. See our review of the Hardtacker’s CD, Don’t … Continue reading