Sobering aerial video of the scope of the ongoing spill. At around 6:30 there is footage of pods of dead and dying dolphins and a sperm whale caught in the oil. Difficult video to watch but important, nevertheless. BP Slick Covers … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Famous steam drifter celebrates 80th birthday in Yarmouth The world’s last surviving steam drifter, the Lydia Eva, will be celebrating her 80th birthday in Great Yarmouth on Sunday. As well as celebrating her birthday, the weekend will also mark … Continue reading
Portside New York is a maritime hub and cultural space whose centerpiece is the historic coastal tanker Mary Whalen. Portside is based this summer on pier 11 in the Atlantic Basin, Red Hook, Brooklyn. On Saturday, July 3rd, Portside is hosting the Big … Continue reading
Two species of Asian carp, the bighead and the silver, were imported in the US in the 1970s by catfish farmers to eat algae in ponds. In flood in the 1990s, Asian trout escaped in the Mississippi River basin have … Continue reading
In October of 1898, the wooden steamship L.R. Doty disappeared in Lake Michigan in a storm with seventy mile an hour winds and thirty foot waves. Her crew of 17 and two ship’s cats were lost. A group of … Continue reading
In 1898, the Chauncy Maples was built at the shipyard of Alley & McLellan in Glasgow. She was then disassembled into 3,481 parts and shipped out for reassembly at Monkey Bay as a missionary/hospital steamer on Lake Malawi. Now, one hundred and … Continue reading
A wonderful boat show in a enchanting setting, the Mystic Seaport Wooden Boat Show starts this Friday. I am seriously annoyed that it looks like I will be be missing it again this year. The show is hosted in partnership with Wooden Boat … Continue reading
For those in the UK, the Yesterday Channel is beginning a new documentary series, The Channel Islands at War, next week on Monday 28th, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of June. The Channel Islands at War … Continue reading
An interested court case between a private salvor and the State of New York appears to have been settled in favor of the state. The salvor, Northeast Research, claimed the 19th century schooner, which it claims is the Caledonia. … Continue reading
It says something about our society that a missing prop from a classic movie, specifically Bruce, the mechanical shark from Jaws, has its own Facebook page. I’m not exactly sure what it says, but it has to say something. For those who might … Continue reading
USS Forrestal arrives in Phila. to await fate The aircraft carrier Forrestal arrived in Philadelphia Friday morning to await its fate. The ship, decommissioned in 1993 in Philadelphia after 38 years in service, had been moored next to the Saratoga … Continue reading
Happy Solstice to All. One way that at least some New Yorkers mark the beginning of the summer is to observe or participate in the Mermaid Parade, an event celebrating the sea and the season, in the Coney Island section … Continue reading
A section of upper New York harbor, just north of Ellis Island, has been taken over for the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. Huge 20 meter air filled pylons sprang up over a three mile course and small, brightly colored … Continue reading
Don Sutherland, marine photographer and writer, died on May 24 of cancer. In the words of Carolina Salguero, Director, PortSide NewYork, “Don covered the working waterfront in this port like no other with an adoring eye, passionate voice and sharp … Continue reading
As many of us were watching Reid Stowe sail into New York harbor from his 1,000 day plus journey, a team of four intrepid rowers were apparently setting out in their attempt to break the 114 year old record set by Harbo and Samuelson … Continue reading
We have been critical of the Sea Shepherds and their reality TV show, “Whale Wars,” which has not only demonstrated dreadful seamanship but has also encouraged illegal and dangerous vigilante violence. We have suggested that diplomacy is preferable to … Continue reading
The Virgin GB Row 2010 is one of strangest and most challenging rowing races in the world. As described on the Virgin GB Row 2010 website: It’s 2,010 miles non-stop and unassisted rowing around Great Britain in some of … Continue reading
It was a fun family event, in many respects. I showed up at the southwest corner of Manhattan, where I thought Reid Stowe on the schooner Anne would sail by and found a group of Stowe’s family and friends had … Continue reading
On April 21, 2007, Reid Stowe sailed from the Hudson River on the schooner Anne. His goal was to stay at sea for 1,000 days without touching a port or being resupplied. It would be the the longest sea … Continue reading
Busy days in the Gulf of Mexico. On the surface above the continuing Deepwater Horizon disaster yesterday, a drill ship attempting to contain the oil was struck by lightning and caught on fire shutting down containment operations. Reportedly, operations resumed today. BP: Oil … Continue reading