Jean-Marc Allaire Dies on the Way to the Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 Race

Tommorrow, the Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 sets off from La Rochelle, France bound for Salvador de Bahia, Brazil via Funchal, Madeira.  Roughly eighty sailors from sixteen countries will sail the Open/Mini 6.5, a 21 foot long ocean racer, across the Atlantic. … Continue reading

Russian Nuclear Sub, Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets, Damaged in Collision with Fishing Vessel

What is interesting about this story is how it has been reported.  Here is what we know: The fishing boat, Donets, ran into the Russian nuclear submarine, Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets (St. George the Victor,)  in the Avachino Bay on the … Continue reading

Of Painting Forth Bridge, Paddles and Creeks, Sand and Tides

I recently learned a new figure of speech – “like painting the Forth Bridge,” which refers to a job which is never completed. Or at least it used to mean that. The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over … Continue reading

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is No More – A Navy Marriage and New Places to Recruit

The US military’s previous policy toward gay service members; “don’t ask, don’t tell; officially came to an end yesterday.   Naval officer, Lt. Gary Ross, chose the day to marry his partner of eleven years, Dan Swezy, in Duxbury, Vt.   In Tulsa, … Continue reading

Updates: Murderer on HMS Astute Sentenced, Kidnapped Briton in Somalia & MSC Luciana Refloated

Updates on three previous posts:  On Monday, Able Seaman Ryan Donovan was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to murdering a senior officer on board the HMS Astute last April.   Submariner’s grudge turned proud day into tragedy British tourist Judith Tebbutt, … Continue reading

The William Main Doerflinger Memorial Sea Shanty Session – September 18th, 2011

Fifteen years ago, a group of sea shanty enthusiasts got together for an old fashioned shanty sing. Their first meeting was, fittingly enough on the windjammer Peking at South Street Seaport. For many years they met monthly at the Seaman’s Church … Continue reading

Jack Tar Magazine’s “The New Conrads” Storytelling Challenge

The folks at Jack Tar Magazine are sponsoring a writing contest, “The New Conrads” Storytelling Challenge, with some serious prize money attached.  Whether you enter or not, it is an interesting exercise to consider what the world of shipping would look like in a … Continue reading

The Great Brigantine Race of 2011

Talk about match racing!  This Sunday off Newport Beach, CA, two identical brigantines, the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson, will race.  They will be manned by crews from rival local clubs, the Bahia Corinthian and Balboa Yacht clubs, under the supervision … Continue reading

Scurvy and the Google Orange

Today the Google “doodle,”  the image that appears above the Google search box, was an orange. Why an orange?  If you clicked on the doodle it took you to a search for Albert Szent-Györgyi,  the Hungarian physiologist who is credited with discovering … Continue reading