A woman scheduled to be married in two weeks was killed on on Friday night around 10PM, when the 21′ long Stingray speedboat she was aboard hit a construction barge anchored off the Tappan Zee bridge in the Hudson River, … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
This Sunday, July 28, 2013 at 2 PM, the Noble Maritime Collection at Snug Harbor will host the Staten Island premiere of the documentary Shellshocked: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves. Bob Wright and his musical group Harbortown will perform songs from their album … Continue reading
We recently posted about the 83 year old yacht Dorade, which won the 2013 Transpac. it was not however the first yacht across the finish line. That honor goes to Lending Club, a racing trimaran; specifically an ORMA (Offshore Racing Multi-hull Association) 60 lengthened to … Continue reading
The Dutch Sail Training Ship, Astrid, a 136′ (41.65 M) brig, was lost this morning after running aground on rocks on the western mouth of Oysterhaven, on the Cork, Ireland coast, shortly after leaving the anchorage this morning. Thirty crew … Continue reading
Modern sailing racing yachts tend to have plumb bows and broad flat sterns. The Transpacific Yacht Race, a 2,225 nautical miles race from Los Angelos to Honolulu, Hawaii, has been dominated for several decades by these lightweight, high speed, sailing … Continue reading
Almost exactly a year ago, we posted that Odyssey Marine Exploration had recovered approximately 48 tons of silver from the wreck of the SS Gairsoppa, a 412-foot British cargo ship which was torpedoed in February of 1941 by a German U-boat. The wreck … Continue reading
The Synchrolift is a wonderful invention. It is a shiplift and transfer system which according to Rolls Royce, the Synchrolift firm’s owner, is “used to increase efficiency and reduce drying-docking times at many of the world’s leading shipyards.” Mystic Seaport Museum … Continue reading
After a two year suspension, Iceland has resumed hunting endangered fin whales. Photographs taken by undercover Greenpeace activists show a harpooned fin whale being cut up for meat, likely to be exported to Japan. Meanwhile, environmentalists are fighting whaling in … Continue reading
Are Somali pirates and their affiliates using Facebook to organize and support ship hijackings? Experts at the United Nations say that this is the case and complain that Facebook has been ignoring their requests for information on Facebook accounts belonging to … Continue reading
After a five year restoration, the 1841 built whaleship Charles W. Morgan is returning to the water at the Mystic Seaport Museum, tomorrow at 2 PM. The museum has set up a live web cam for those of us who … Continue reading
An Italian court has convicted five people of manslaughter related to the sinking of the cruise ship Costa Concordia in January 2012, which killed 32 passengers and crew. Each of the five agreed to plea bargains and none may serving … Continue reading
In February of 2010, the orca, Tilikum, attacked and drowned senior trainer, Dawn Brancheau, at SeaWorld Orlando. This was the third human death that Tilikum has been involved in, in captivity. Ironically, even though orcas are best know as “killer whales,” there … Continue reading
Were there once oceans on Mars? Scientists have found what they believe to have been a vast Martian coastline. From Slate Magazine: Was This Once a Vast Martian Coastline? Red Planet Riviera: Ancient Mars Ocean Found? … Continue reading
The story is dramatic. The North Korean 14,000 dwt bulk carrier Chong Chon Gang was stopped by the Panama Canal Authority. A container, believed to carry undeclared military weapons was found hidden in a cargo of bagged sugar. The Korean … Continue reading
This weekend, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance City of Water Day will be sponsoring celebrations and activities all around the harbor. Festivities will be held at Governor’s Island, New York and in Liberty State Park on the New Jersey side as well at 25 … Continue reading
About two years, ago we posted about two historic vessels in New York harbor, the ferry Yankee and the tanker Mary Whalen. In the space of two days, two different real estate and design publications featured articles about the grand … Continue reading
More than a decade ago, Sidonie Fery, a ten year old girl living in Manhattan, threw a message in a bottle into Long Island Sound. The message was a line from her favorite move – “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” which … Continue reading
Last week, the Lion’s Club of Darwin, Australia held their 40th Annual Beer Can Regatta. The regatta raises funds for local charities through a fun event which is described as “uniquely Territorian in character and spirit.” Apparently nothing says Darwin, … Continue reading
You probably didn’t see “Sharknado,” a made-for-cable movie on the SyFy channel last night. I didn’t either and we should probably consider ourselves fortunate to have missed it. Or maybe not. It has been hard to ignore, however, as a … Continue reading
In a tragic twist, the engineer from the Dutch topsail schooner Wylde Swan is presumed to have drowned while attempting to assist the sinking Norwegian ketch Wyvern. When the Wyvern began taking on water while sailing in the Baltic in the … Continue reading