Lieutenant-Commander Tony Bentley-Buckle, who died at the end of May at the age of 88, had a valiant and varied career in the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war, he established two shipping lines and an airline in Africa and competed … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
It was a beautiful and busy weekend in New York harbor. On Sunday, I missed the 18th Annual Running of the Great North River Tugboat Race & Competition but Will over at the Tugster blog has some great photos. … Continue reading
Two projects are underway in Maine and Oregon to produce energy from ocean waves. Ocean Renewable Power Company, in Maine, is using horizontal turbines to capture the energy of ebbing and flooding tides. Initial tests have met or exceeded their targets … Continue reading
The Ocean Technology Foundation has been searching for John Paul Jones’ famous flagship, the Bonhomme Richard for the last five years. They now believe that they are closing in on the wreck. On this year’s expedition both the US and French Navies are joining … Continue reading
In July, we posted about a Baltic shipwreck on which divers found 30 bottles of champagne thought to pre-date the French Revolution. (see Baltic Bubbly – ‘World’s oldest champagne’) On subsequent dives, smaller bottles have been recovered which apparently contain … Continue reading
Hurricane Earl, or rather tropical storm Earl, spun its way past New York, far enough out to sea so we had neither wind nor rain to mark his passing. Having missed this hurricane, here is an interesting article on Weather.com that lists the … Continue reading
After Earl, some R.I. weekend events adjust schedules To give participants in the Museum of Yachting’s 31st annual Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport time to get their boats back in the water in the wake of the storm, races scheduled … Continue reading
Hurricane Earl appears not to be likely to make landfall on the US East Coast but the expected winds and seas have rearranged some schedules. The Camden Windjammer Festival originally scheduled to start today has been postponed to 4PM on Saturday. The Gloucester Schooner Festival has cancelled several outdoor activities but otherwise is on … Continue reading
Happy Merchant Navy Day! In Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand today, September 3rd, is celebrated as Merchant Navy Day – an official day of remembrance of the sacrifices made by merchant mariners in war-time. In World War I and World War II, over 45, 000 … Continue reading
Assuming that Hurricane Earl doesn’t interfere, the 3rd annual Fish & Ships Labor Day Weekend Seafood Festival will be held at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut this Saturday through Monday. Fish & Ships Seafood Festival back at Mystic Seaport … Continue reading
The inner harbor of beautiful Victoria, Canada on Vancouver Island will be filled with between 75 to 100 classic boats beginning today and running through the Sunday at the 33rd Annual Victoria Classic Boat Festival. Harbour plays host to classic boat fest … Continue reading
An oil platform operated by Mariner Energy exploded today near Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. One worker was reported injured. No one was killed and no significant oil spill resulted. Mariner Energy has been involved at least 13 … Continue reading
The 2010 Port of San Diego Festival of Sail kicks off today with a parade of tall ships on San Diego Bay at 11 a.m. The festival runs runs through September 6th and features more than 20 tall ships … Continue reading
Two major maritime festivals on the US East coast, scheduled for the Labor Day weekend, appear to be generally in the path of Hurricane Earl. The organizers of the Twenty-Sixth Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival and schooner race and the Camden Windjammer Festival, both … Continue reading
This can’t be good unless it is so bad that it is good. A new movie is coming out whose high concept pitch had to be, “It is Moby Dick but with dragons, instead of whales.” The trailer is below … Continue reading
What would Lord Nelson have thought of this? There were various news reports out recently that the British and the French may share aircraft carriers. UK, France closer to carrier sharing deal Britain and France are moving closer to a deal to share … Continue reading
Last week, a paddler in a kayak race on the Missouri River was hit on the side of his face by a 20-30 pound jumping carp, almost causing him to capsize. Fortunately he was not seriously injured but had to … Continue reading
Intriguing, if it turns out to be true. Czar’s gold treasure found on Baikal Lake bed The legendary gold treasure of Russia’s last Czar could have been found by Mir-2 mini submarine on the bed of the world’s deepest fresh … Continue reading
An intriguing article from the Independent. Elizabeth Wynne was Lord Nelson’s nurse following the loss of his arm. She left 40 volumes of diaries and was a witness to several key events of the 18th century. She married one of … Continue reading
Last week the yacht, Making Waves, a 48 foot Sea Ray Sundancer, with its engine running and the autopilot engaged, came ashore on Redding Beach, FL, on the Gulf of Mexico, with no one aboard. The boat is estimated to be … Continue reading