I remember visiting the battleship USS Texas in the San Jacinto River in Texas as schoolboy from Dallas while on a family vacation, almost fifty years ago. Her 14″ guns were impressive and I still recall climbing around her anti-aircraft guns … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Last Sunday was the second of two weekends of the Dana Point Festival of Whales, which celebrates the annual migration of gray whales which passes the coastal California community. Captain Todd Mansur of Dana Wharf Whale Watching was following two gray whales, … Continue reading
A re-post from four years ago that seems appropriate today. So Happy Pi day and a toast to Hakudo Maru, the Japanese celestial shipbuilder. Some call today Pi day, as the first three digits of the date (3.14) are the first … Continue reading
Safe Harbor Pictures recently released a short video about sail training on the Lady Washington. The Lady Washington is a replica of the first American ship to round Cape Horn. The original ship sailed from Boston Harbor on October 1, … Continue reading
I am very much looking forward to Alaric Bond’s latest, Torrid Zone, due out in April or May. He recently posted about it on his blog. Background to a Book I’ve now finished the second draft of The Torrid Zone, … Continue reading
Lighthouses can be dangerous places. They are placed specifically near hazards to navigation, where the seas are the roughest and the rocks the most treacherous. Here is a brief look at three deadly lighthouses. Tillamook Rock Lighthouse — Off the … Continue reading
On my way to an informal gathering of water-bloggers on Saturday, I passed by Captain Joseph Rose’s House at 273 Water Street in Lower Manhattan. I wanted to stop by because one scene in my next novel, The Shantyman, is set … Continue reading
It is remarkably difficult to grasp how large ships can be. I remember, many years ago, being amazed how a full sized city bus, which looked so large on the pier, seemed to shrink dramatically as it was hoisted and … Continue reading
There was a very nice post this morning on the Working Harbor Committee blog about my novel “Hell Around the Horn.” My thanks to the editor, Mai Armstrong. Have you read Rick Spilman’s novel Hell Around The Horn? It’s a thriller … Continue reading
In publicity photos to celebrate the tenth year anniversary of the Queen Mary 2 going into service, Captain Kevin Oprey is seen standing on the ship’s bulbous bow. The photos dramatically capture the size of the mighty ship. Click on the … Continue reading
Not all sailors in the Northeast are sick of winter. For some ice boaters on the Hudson, this has been a great season and isn’t over quite yet. Ice boating, or ice yachting, as some call it, is a cross … Continue reading
Ochakov, a Russian Kara-class cruiser, was decommissioned in 2011 and had been scheduled to be scrapped. Instead, the Russian Navy scuttled the ship late Wednesday in the navigation channel in the approach to Donuzlav Lake, in Novoozerne, in the Western Crimea. … Continue reading
Stepping away for a moment from the unfolding current events in the Ukraine and Russia, it might be worthwhile to look at the history of the region, which was shaped by the arrival of merchant adventurers rowing long ships. As … Continue reading
The government of Ukrainia is claiming that the Russian Navy has issued an ultimatum demanding the surrender of two Ukrainian Navy vessels in in Sevastopol’s harbor. They claim that four Russian Navy vessels have the Ukrainian anti-submarine ship, Ternopil, and the the command ship, Slavutych, blocked … Continue reading
From the New York Times: Hollywood gave a big boost to the myth that captains could legally join couples on the open seas. In New York, Captain Arnold Wonsever, an ordained minister, is making this myth a reality. … Continue reading
Update: Reports of the defection of the frigate Hetman Sahaidachny are being denied by the Ukrainian military. The ship is reported to have be sighted in port in Crete still flying the Ukrainian flag. There are reports that the Ukraine’s Navy flagship, the frigate … Continue reading
Two Indian naval officers, Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal and Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar, died in a fire on the submarine INS Sindhuratna. Seven sailors were evacuated suffering from smoke inhalation. The fire broke out around 40 nautical miles off Mumbai early … Continue reading
I recently read of the successful sea-trial of the remodeled super-yacht M5, (ex Mirabella V.) They were testing what is described as the “new carbon rig.” The new rig includes 34 new carbon fibre stays and titanium fittings with built-in dynamic … Continue reading
I am not sure why I find this to be so amusing. Here is a fish controlling a small robotic car by swimming around in a small tank. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing along the story. As described … Continue reading
Last July, I was pleased, and more than a bit surprised, to see a play in New York City about a shipyard. It was Off-Broadway and only a two man play, but nevertheless, it was about a shipyard. The play, … Continue reading