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
Rick Spilman
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
In honor of John Paul Jones’ victory in the Battle of Flamborough Head where he captured HMS Serapis on this day 230 years ago, we offer two works from the archives. (For those who have not yet discovered it, the Internet … Continue reading
I have always been a John Paul Jones sceptic. Was he a great naval leader or merely a prima dona? Was he so difficult a personality that he was never an effective leader? He was at the very least a … Continue reading
Last Friday the HMS Victory fired a 64 gun rolling broadside to to help launch the National Museum of the Royal Navy. (While the broadside was impressively load and smoky, the amount of gunpowder used for the symbolic broadside was reported to … Continue reading
Intriguing news about Charles W. Morgan, the last American sailing whale ship. From Boston.com Mystic Seaport officials are now considering whether to make the ship seaworthy again so that it can tour New England’s coastline in the summer of 2012, … Continue reading
Last month we posted about The Great Gloucester Sea Serpent of 1817. Eric, a blog reader, commented, no doubt tongue in cheek, “So that is what the bloop was.” His comment got me thinking about the ironies of observations, technology and … Continue reading
Last week, StatoilHydro inaugurated Hywind in the North Sea off South-west Norway. Hywind is the first full scale floating wind turbine and is a research pilot program to develop a new generation of offshore wind mills. StatoilHydro inaugurates floating wind … Continue reading
I started reading nautical fiction, specifically C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series, as a teenager. The Hornblower novels, while meant for adults, were great “boy books,” full of adventure and action, with a hero with just enough self doubt and angst for … Continue reading