The first word one associates with speed under sail is probably not barge. Nevertheless, Thames River barges are no slackers when the wind is blowing. Recently, the folks at Cambria Trust posted a photo of a GPS screen on restored … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The story goes that around 1856, a man from Missouri named Thomas built a “windwagon,” a “prairie clipper” to sail the Western plains. Unfortunately, despite sailing around 100 miles down the Santa Fe trail, his “Prairie Clipper Company” was not a … Continue reading
Susan Clark, who died after a short battle with cancer at 48, was a remarkable woman. In high school, she was valedictorian and class president. At Maine Maritime Academy, she was first in her class. She was the first female captain for Exxon and captained … Continue reading
Today is the official “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Time to celebrate murderous thugs and to imitate characters from Disney amusement park rides. Oh goodie. Or maybe not. Today is also an excellent time to consider the very real … Continue reading
It is highly gratifying to have my work reviewed favorably by an author that I admire. Alaric Bond, author of the Fighting Sail Series, is indeed such an author. (See our review of his latest, The Patriot’s Fate, here.) Bond recently reviewed … Continue reading
In 2010, the headline read, Modern cargo ships slow to the speed of the sailing clippers. The article was subtitled, “Container ships are taking longer to cross the oceans than the Cutty Sark did as owners adopt ‘super-slow steaming’ to … Continue reading
Ships have a finite lifespan, usually not more than 20 years, often much less. When a ship reaches the end of its economic life, there needs to be a place to recycle the steel, the other valuable metals and equipment. In a … Continue reading
Not long after the Costa Concordia struck Le Scole Rock off the island of Giglio, Italy at 9:45 pm on January 13, 2012, Captain Francesco Schettino’s voice can be heard on a voice-data recording muttering, “Madonna, what a mess I’ve … Continue reading
Tomorrow, September 15, a Maritime Ghost Conference will be held on the Steam Ferry Berkeley at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The conference is sponsored by the San Diego Ghost and Paranormal Group and is also a fundraiser for the Maritime Museum. In … Continue reading
I have been a fan of Sailor Twain for some time. Sailor Twain, or The Mermaid in the Hudson is a webcomic by Mark Siegel. He has been posting pages online every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the tale unfolding in … Continue reading
In April, we posted about a scathing review of the Cutty Sark restoration by Andrew Gilligan, the Telegraph‘s London Editor. He referred to the restoration as “a clucking, Grade A … turkey.” I have not seen the ship but I share many of Gilligan’s concerns. (I will be visiting the … Continue reading
Last year around this time, we posted about Harold Hackett of Prince Edward Island, who since 1996 has cast 4,800 bottles containing messages into the sea and has received 3,100 responses. Harold may hold the record for the most bottle … Continue reading
On Saturday, a passenger and a crew member on the schooner Bill of Rights were wounded by bird shot apparently fired from the topsail schooner Amazing Grace during a mock sea battle at the Tobisha Tall Ship Festival at Dana Point, … Continue reading
One year and one day after the Battle of Lake Erie, an American squadron, under the command of Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough, defeated the Royal Navy on Lake Champlain in a bloody battle at Plattsburgh Bay. The Battle of Plattsburgh turned back an invasion … Continue reading
The best known naval battles of the War of 1812 were single ship duels between US Navy frigates and ships of the Royal Navy. Nevertheless, the two most important American naval victories of the War of 1812 were fought in fresh water, hundreds of miles from the ocean. … Continue reading
Shackleton Epic Expeditions has announced the availability of 10 berths on T/S Pelican when it serves as a support vessel for the upcoming re-enactment of an epic lifeboat voyage undertaken by Ernest Shackleton and five sailors in 1916. The Pelican is a … Continue reading
Good news. On Friday, we posted that the captain of the U.S. flag heavy lift ship, MV Ocean Atlas, had been arrested in Maracaibo, Venezuela after three rifles were found aboard the ship. The rifles had reportedly been listed in the ship’s manifest. Reports are … Continue reading
The 4,380 TEU container ship Amsterdam Bridge caught fire on a voyage between Mumbai to Colombo. The ship returned to Mumbai and is now at an outer anchorage. Recent reports suggests that the fire is contained if not necessarily completely extinguished. VesselTracker.com is reporting that Coast Guard officials suspect that … Continue reading
From the “Muppets Treasure Island” 1996. Sailing For Adventure (1996) Thanks to Cynthia Drew for daring me to post it. … Continue reading
Snorkelers and divers swimming south of Isla Mujeres and off Punta Nizuc off Cancun will now find themselves in a monumental underwater sculpture garden of life-sized human statues rising up from the sandy bottom in crystal tropical clear waters. The 450 … Continue reading