The Wall Street Journal today has an article about the SS United States Conservancy, a group of individuals who fervently wish to save the SS United States. I have the somewhat heretical view that the “Big U,” as she is called, is … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
After sailing into a bulk carrier earlier this month on her first day at sea after apparently dozing off, sixteen year old Jessica Watson has set sail once again on her attempt to circumnavigate the globe singlehanded. While she has received … Continue reading
Saint-Tropez Races Bid Summer Adieu According to legend, a bet in 1981 between two yachtsmen at a fashionable Saint-Tropez restaurant led to a race between Pride, an American-owned Swan 44 sailboat and Ikra, a French-owned International 12-meter rival. On Sunday, … Continue reading
Samoa police say 63 dead in tsunami, toll may rise Samoan police commissioner Lilo Maiava told The Associated Press that police have confirmed 63 deaths, and officials are still searching the devastated areas, so the number of deaths might rise … Continue reading
“The Leaving of Liverpool” is a wonderful sea song, capturing both the promise of a new voyage and the sadness of leaving loved ones behind. It was “collected” by William Main Doerflinger in 1951 from Dick Maitland, an old sailor at New York’s … Continue reading
Daniel Pauly has an article in this month’s New Republic “Aquacalypse Now – The End of Fish“. It addresses the very real and threatening problem of overfishing. His is a great title for an article but his use of the metaphor of corporate fishing … Continue reading
The Royal Navy in joint operations with the US Coast Guard off South America has seized a £240 million cocaine shipment – the biggest haul in Royal Navy history. HMS Iron Duke’s crew sank the 138ft drug boat with bursts of cannon fire … Continue reading
To provide information about a new Canadian lobster industry financial stimulus program, Canada’s department of fisheries set up a “hot line” which proved somewhat hotter than expected. Instead of hearing information on lobstering, callers were greeted with a woman’s voice saying, “Hey there, hot stuff, … Continue reading
From New Scientist: As new ways of analysing the world around us are developed, new ways to visualise that information are needed. At the recent Eurographics Symposium, held in Berlin, traffic in shipping traffic near Rotterdam was mapped on both calm and … Continue reading
Some Monday mornings feel like I was in a head on collision with a containership. Here is a photo of the bow of the Nirit Pride which did indeed collide earlier this month with the MSC vessel Nikita in shipping lanes near … Continue reading
In honor of our unexpected whale watching in New York harbor, we are taking a brief look at whale watching around the country this summer. It has been an interesting summer indeed. After staying off shore for several years, fin and humpback … Continue reading
As reported by the Stockholm News – WW1 Russian submarine found The submarine wreck was discovered by a research ship of the Swedish Maritime Administration the 10 September. A closer study with a radio-controlled underwater vessel indicate that the submarine … Continue reading
This morning while sailing on the schooner Pioneer in Upper New York Harbor, we were all surprised when the captain shouted “whale”. There, close aboard to starboard, the back and dorsal fin of a whale rose and then disappeared beneath the surface of the harbor. The … Continue reading
Gallery
There will be a preliminary hearing into the sinking of the ferry, Princess Ashika, next Thursday in Nuku’alofa by the Royal Commission set up by the Government to investigate the tragedy. A letter from Port Authority Port Authority general manager, … Continue reading
Perhaps it is the thought that counts. Swiss lawmakers have decided against joining EU anti-piracy efforts because it would violate the country’s long-held tradition of neutrality. The land-locked country lacks a blue water navy so could not send a ship or … Continue reading
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is hosting an Archeology Weekend tomorrow and Sunday. it will include presentations on Lake Champlain shipwrecks and feature some of their latest explorations including early steamboats, gunboats, sailing vessels and canal boats. There will be special demonstrations in … Continue reading
We previously posted about the Royal Navy installing Windows on submarines. We were relieved to learn that the reference was to an a computer operating system and not panes of glass. Then again, it appears that the late Ivar Haglund, owner … Continue reading
Depending on how you look at it, there is either good or bad news about the Mary Rose. The Mary Rose is the only only 16th century warship on display anywhere in the world. She was one of the first … Continue reading
An update to our previous post – Spotted Dick Off the Menu. As reported by the BBC: Council chiefs have reversed a decision to rename the pudding Spotted Dick after receiving “abusive letters” and accusations of political correctness. Canteen staff … Continue reading