The Russian fishing vessel Sparta, which was holed by ice below the waterline in the Ross Sea off Antarctica on December 16th and has been trapped in the ice for over ten days, is now undergoing temporary repairs. On Monday, … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
More progress in the completion of Rhode Island’s tall ship, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry. The not yet tall ship was recently launched at Sims Metal Management in Providence and towed to Senesco Marine in North Kingstown to continue construction, including … Continue reading
In 2008, a young Kemp’s ridley sea turtle washed up, stranded, in the Netherlands. Kemp’s ridleys are the smallest and rarest of all sea turtles and are a critically endangered species. The Kemp’s ridley turtles typically live in the warm waters of the Gulf … Continue reading
On Christmas Day in 1776, George Washington led what was left of his army across the Delaware River in the middle of a blizzard to attack a Hessian outpost in Trenton, NJ. In one bold stroke, he turned almost certain … Continue reading
The plan was for the South Korean icebreaker Araon accompanied by the fishing vessel Chiyo Maru No 3 to break through the ice to reach the stricken Russian fishing vessel Sparta today on Christmas Day. The Sparta was holed below … Continue reading
Scuba Santa swimming with sharks may be a relatively new Christmas tradition but it is remarkably widespread. From the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky; to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston; to … Continue reading
Christmas Morning in the lobster capital of the world. The wonderful photography of Doug Mills of Shoot Maine Studios. THE LOBSTERMAN’S CHRISTMAS … Continue reading
I love walking the beach in the wintertime, though I would be surprised to come across a 100 foot long Santa Claus. In 2008, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik and his team created a sand sculpture of Santa Claus at Puri beach … Continue reading
The South Korean icebreaker Araon and the fishing vessel Chiyo Maru No 3 may reach the stricken Russian fishing vessel Sparta on Christmas Day. The Sparta is a 157 feet long fishing vessel with a crew of 32 aboard which … Continue reading
The maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V has now rounded all three of the major capes; Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin and now Cape Horn; in its quest to set the record for the fastest non-stop sail around the world. This … Continue reading
Lobster traps, also known as lobster pots, are ubiquitous around the coastal towns of New England. Around this time of year, Christmas trees built from stacked lobster pots rise in many towns along the coast. With fishermen being fishermen, a friendly competition between the … Continue reading
According to an ancient sailors’ legend, we are in the middle of the Halcyon days – seven days of calm on either side of the winter solstice. The legend says that the halycon bird lays its eggs on the winter … Continue reading
The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge which bills itself as “The World’s Roughest Rowing Race” is living up to its name. As we posted previously, seventeen boats set off December 4th to row across the Atlantic from Spain’s San Sebastian de la Gomera … Continue reading
Laura Dekker, the 16 year old solo sailor, is on the last leg of her voyage around the world. She is bound not for Europe but back to Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, from which she sailed on January 5, 2011. … Continue reading
Last September, PortSide New York mounted a multi-media exhibit on the historic buoy tender, Lilac, about the extraordinary and little-known maritime role played in the recovery from the attacks of 9/11, from the evacuation to refuse removal and rebuilding. A video … Continue reading