The Live Science blog reports that whale watchers in Japan were recently treated to a rare wildlife encounter when they saw, not one, but two white orcas swimming side by side. The pair and their pod were spotted by a … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Last May, we posted about a threat by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) to pull its ships from Florida ports after the Florida legislature passed a law prohibiting businesses from asking whether employees or customers have been vaccinated against Covid-19, contradicting certain CDC … Continue reading
Last week, a wall of ice, representing an iceberg, collapsed at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, injuring three guests. The injured were taken to a local hospital. The extent of the injuries was not revealed. From the … Continue reading
We posted back in February, about the Navy’s plans to decommission four relatively new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). Congress granted approval to decommission two, the USS Independence and the USS Freedom. The Independence was decommissioned on July 29, 20201 and … Continue reading
Jon Morrow Lindbergh died recently at the age of 88. He was an American underwater diver who worked as a United States Navy demolition expert and as a commercial diver. He was also a pioneer in cave diving and was … Continue reading
We had a lovely stay in the old seaport village of Stonington, CT on our recent cruise. In honor of our visit, here is a repost from a few years ago about the Battle of Stonington that was fought two … Continue reading
In September, we posted about a Swedish consortium that included Wallenius Marine has designed Oceanbird, a five-masted sailing car carrier, that, if built, will be the largest sailing cargo ship that the world has ever seen. Last month, Alfa Laval and Wallenius … Continue reading
Happy Coast Guard Day! In honor of the day, a post about the former Coast Guard lighthouse tender, USCGC Lilac, a museum ship located on the Hudson River in New York City. The Lilac is America’s only surviving steam-powered lighthouse … Continue reading
On Friday, the schooner Mary E, owned by the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, was knocked down and flooded while sailing off Doubling Point Light on the Kennebec River, just downriver from the museum. All 18 passengers and crew were … Continue reading
We recently sailed to Block Island, a picturesque windswept island, roughly a dozen miles off the coast of Rhode Island. A haven for vacationers, Block Island also features the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. Five 6MW … Continue reading
The Howard Steamboat Museum recently posted a video “A River, a Family, and a Shipyard: The History of the Howard Family of Steamboat Builders” that tells the story of James Howard and the Howard Family, who were the most successful … Continue reading
The US Navy christened one of its newest Virginia-class attack submarines, the USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795), during a 9 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, July 31, 2021, at General Dynamics/Electric Boat, in Groton, Connecticut. From the Navy press release: … Continue reading
Last August we posted “Did an Arsonist Torch the USS Bonhomme Richard?” The Navy has concluded that the answer is yes, as it has charged a seaman apprentice with deliberately starting a fire last year that destroyed the amphibious assault … Continue reading
For almost a decade, Reza Baluchi has been trying to run across oceans in his hydro pod, a homemade bubble contraption with a metal frame that looks and is intended to function as a human hamster wheel. As reported by … Continue reading
Bruce Kirby died recently at the age of 92. He was a Canadian-born, self-taught yacht designer known for a range of projects from one-designs to America’s Cup yachts. He also was a three-time Olympian sailor. Kirby began his career as … Continue reading
The Hawaii Department of Transportation’s Harbors Division put out a second request for proposals (RFP) for the “removal of the derelict sailing vessel Falls of Clyde from Honolulu Harbor.” A previous RFP issued in late April was later canceled after a … Continue reading
We recently posted about the latest round of red tide to hit the Gulf Coast of Florida. Florida red tide is caused by the blooming of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. K. brevis produces neurotoxins that can cause respiratory problems in … Continue reading
A short video of Tradewind Voyages’ Golden Horizon sailing at night between Poole & Portland. Golden Horizon is the largest square-rigged sailing ship in the world. A 272 passenger, five-masted barque, she is 532 feet (162 meters) long, with a … Continue reading
Joshua Zeman has directed a newly released documentary, The Loneliest Whale — the Search for 52. It is a fascinating muddle of a film, well worth watching if you can overlook the mix of myth, legend, and social media sentimentality … Continue reading
The Sea Venture was the flagship of the Third Supply mission to the Jamestown Colony that was wrecked in Bermuda in 1609. A 300-ton ship commissioned by the London Company, she was one of the first single timbered merchantmen built … Continue reading