A belated happy birthday to Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who turned 84 the day before yesterday. Often referred to as Canada’s greatest songwriter, Lightfoot is also a sailor, having owned and sailed the 39′ Sundown and the 45′ Golden Goose. … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Having overfished its own coastal waters, China is aggressively deploying a global fishing fleet to exploit fishing grounds thousands of miles from its shores. The New York Times reports that over the last two decades, China has built the world’s … Continue reading
The 50,000 DWT product tanker Pacific Zircon was struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman on Tuesday night. The ship is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, a company ultimately owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. In a … Continue reading
Congratulations to Rear Admiral Joanna Nunan, a retired US Coast Guard two-star admiral, recently appointed to be the superintendent of the US Merchant Marine Academy at King’s Point, NY, the first woman appointed as superintendent in the academy’s eight-decade history. … Continue reading
At the end of October, Russia announced that Ukraine had launched the “most massive attack by drones and remotely piloted surface vehicles on the waters of the Bay of Sevastopol in the history of the conflict.” Unconfirmed sources claim that … Continue reading
In the US, today is Veteran’s Day, when we honor those who have served in the military. It coincides with Armistice Day, the anniversary of the signing of the armistice which ended World War I, on the 11th hour of the … Continue reading
SS Edmund Fitzgerald, an American Great Lakes ore carrier, sank 47 years ago today, on November 10, 1975, in a storm on Lake Superior. The crew of 29 was lost when the freighter, loaded with 26,000 tons of iron ore pellets, … Continue reading
The US military has been having problems meeting its recruiting targets. In response, the US Coast Guard and the US Navy have been offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 for certain billets, after the number of sailors plummeted, in … Continue reading
Coronet is a 131′ wooden-hull schooner yacht built for oil tycoon Rufus T. Bush in 1885. It is one of the oldest and largest vessels of its type in the world, and one of the last surviving grand sailing yachts … Continue reading
In June of last year, we posted that UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had announced the construction of a new national flagship intended to promote British businesses around the world. The proposal received a mixed response. As we noted in … Continue reading
An encouraging news story from Reuters. A smart buoy that can “hear” the ocean and monitor climate change is part of a new effort to help endangered whales avoid ship collisions on their journey from Antarctica to the equator. The … Continue reading
In June 2019, Federal authorities raided the container ship MSC Gayane when the ship docked in Philadephia. They found and seized 20 tonnes of cocaine, worth over a billion dollars, stashed in shipping containers. The seizure was the largest cocaine … Continue reading
Last year, we posted about French tire manufacturer Michelin’s Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) project design that features an automated, telescopic, inflatable wing sail system, which is expected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%. The project is taking a … Continue reading
A fascinating study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that seven ancient “clans” of sperm whales living in the vast Pacific Ocean maintain their cultural identity by distinctive patterns of clicks within their songs. … Continue reading
Analysis by H I Sutton, writing in NavalNews.com, suggests that the Russian Navy is re-establishing a base at Balaklava, a small inlet 5 miles south of Sevastopol that was the site of a major naval base during the Cold War. … Continue reading
Sky News reports that HMS Medway, a Royal Navy River-class offshore patrol vessel, pursued a drug smuggler’s boat after it was spotted near the Dominican Republic, alongside a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment and accompanying aircraft. Once it was … Continue reading
The BBC reports that Russia says that Ukraine carried out a “massive” drone attack on Saturday on the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, damaging one warship. Nine drones were used, a top official said. Unconfirmed … Continue reading
Ten years ago today, the replica of HMS Bounty sank in Hurricane Sandy off the coast of North Carolina. Despite horrific conditions, the US Coast Guard was able to rescue 14 of the 16 aboard the ship when she sank. … Continue reading
The BBC reports that a Dutch fishing vessel has rescued a British kayaker found clinging to a buoy in the Channel after his kayak capsized. He is reported to have been holding onto the buoy for several days. The captain, … Continue reading
For the first time, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has canceled the upcoming winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea following the disappearance of 90 percent of snow crabs last season. The state is also continuing a … Continue reading