Last February we posted that Somali pirates had hijacked a Danish sailboat with four adults and three children aboard. Yesterday, the Danish Foreign Ministry announced seven Danish citizens, including a family with three children had been released. It has been reported that the pirates were … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Oh well. I guess there is nothing surprising about this news report. It seems that David Copp, a tourist visiting Ilfracombe Harbour, west of Bristol, in the UK, complained to the harbor-master that the fish being landed on the quayside had a “disgusting smell.” Nor, … Continue reading
The MT Phoenix, which has been hard aground and leaking oil on a South African beach, is finally free. This Saturday, two salvage tugs, Smit Amanda and Smit Siyanda, under the direction of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), successfully towed the ship … Continue reading
The 120 year old ketch, Leader, was dismasted yesterday in force seven winds off Portland Bill, Dorset; losing her main mast, boom, sails and associated rigging. An RNLI lifeboat was called to assist and successfully towed the Leader and her 16 … Continue reading
Ironically, the further inland from where Hurricane Irene made landfall in Brooklyn, the more damage and disruption the storm caused. While the 19th Annual Great North River Tug Boat Race and Competition went off without a hitch, the annual Waterford Tugboat Roundup scheduled … Continue reading
While here in New York harbor, we were cheering on tug boats racing along belching black smoke, the good folks in Gloucester, Massachusetts were celebrating classic schooners. The tug boat race was great fun, but I do so love schooners and the schooners at … Continue reading
The Hudson River as it enters New York harbor is still an unhealthy shade of brown from all the runoff from Hurricane Irene. Nevertheless it was a fine day to be on the river, especially to watch the 19th Annual Great North River Tug … Continue reading
Fin whales have been called the “the greyhounds of the sea” because they are fast and sleek. grwoing to almost 90 feet, they are the second longest animal on the planet but only the the sixth heaviest. Though they are baleen whales, … Continue reading
Recent surveys have indicated that Nelson’s flagship, HMS Victory, was leaking, suffering from rot and being pulled apart by her own weight. Now, as the first part of a major restoration project, the ship is being down-rigged. Twenty six miles of … Continue reading
The thief is described as a man, 40 to 50 years old, dressed in black leather, wearing a dark coat, carrying an 8 foot long whale tooth. The man was also reportedly walking a white dog. He allegedly stole the tooth … Continue reading
This like a great weekend to be in San Diego. OK, an especially great weekend as the Port of San Diego and the Maritime Museum of San Diego are hosting a four day Festival of Sail. Music food, sailing, mock gun … Continue reading
The 19th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition sponsored by the Working Harbor Committee is scheduled to run this Sunday, September 4th, in the Hudson River off Pier 84 at the foot of West 44th Street. The Parade of Tugs starts at 10:00 … Continue reading
After five circumnavigations, Captain Daniel Moreland and the Barque Picton Castle will be changing their course for this year’s voyage focusing primarily on the Atlantic visiting ports in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Spanish Main. World Voyaging Tall Ship Picton Castle Announces New Voyage Around … Continue reading
A human foot wearing a running shoe washed ashore in British Columbia recently. It is the eleventh foot to have washed up on the coast of the Salish Sea, the coastal waterways surrounding southern Vancouver Island and Puget Sound, … Continue reading
I love the odd confluence of elements in this story. It seems a young couple, Kim & Kevin, decided to get married at Mystic Aquarium, in Mystic,Connecticut. They decided that the service would be held directly in front of the beluga tank. For … Continue reading
Three US Navy amphibious assault and transport ships; the USS Wasp, the USS San Antonio, and the USS New York; are just offshore of New York harbor as of this morning to provide assistance, if needed, to the states of New York, Connecticut or New Jersey after Hurricane Irene. … Continue reading
There was no actual battle at the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth off Scotland. Nevertheless, on the night of January 31st and the morning of February 1st, 1918, 270 sailors of the Royal Navy lost their lives off the Isle of May … Continue reading
These are strange days in the lobster fisheries. Depending on where you are on the US East Coast, lobster fishing either is in trouble or is booming. Even where thing are going well, there are serious concerns about the future. Earlier this year, the Atlantic … Continue reading
For the third year of a three year program, Parks Canada archaeologists have failed in their attempt at finding the wrecks of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. This year they searched an area west of King William Island, where Sir John Franklin and his expedition became … Continue reading
Hurricane Irene has swept past, not as bad as she could have been, but bad enough, nevertheless. Downgraded to a tropical storm by 9AM this morning, she still caused significant flooding on the East coast, hitting Philadelphia particularly hard. The city, situated between the Delaware … Continue reading