The US Navy is sending six ships from the Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida into the Atlantic in an attempt to get out of the path of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to strengthen to a category 3 and … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The 27th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race, sponsored by the Working Harbor Committee, will be held on the Hudson River near Pier 84 starting at 11 a.m. on September 1st. Watch from shore or get onboard the Spectator Boat … Continue reading
Recent video of the extremely well-preserved wreck of Franklin’s ship Terror may shed new light on the many mysteries of Franklin’s lost expedition. In 1845, Captain Sir John Franklin departed England in command of two specially outfitted ships, Erebus and … Continue reading
Accompanied by a flotilla of well-wishers, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, sailed into New York harbor today on the foiling monohull IMOCA 60, Malizia II. Greta is on her way to UN climate talks being held in September. To avoid … Continue reading
I feel like beginning this post with the old cheer, “The King is dead! Long live the King!” But no. That is hardly apt. How about “the schooner Shenandoah is for Sale! Long Live Shenandoah 2.0!” That still is not … Continue reading
Given all the economic damage being done by needless trade wars, it seems worthwhile to recall the ship that opened the trade with the United States’ first trading partner, China. The new nation had won the Revolutionary War but had … Continue reading
Here is some glorious drone footage of the Sailing School Vessel (SSV) Oliver Hazard Perry transiting the Cape Cod Canal. At 207 feet long, the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry is the largest civilian Sailing School Vessel in the United States … Continue reading
Congratulations to Captain Belinda Bennett, the first black female captain of a cruise ship. Captain Bennett has sailed for Windstar Cruise Lines for 14 years and is now in command of the MSY Wind Star, operating in the Caribbean in winter … Continue reading
Last week, the Ellen, the world’s largest all-electric ferry, completed its maiden voyage in Denmark. From a press release by Leclanché, the provider of the batteries to power the ferry: The world’s largest all-electric ferry, named Eferry Ellen, made its … Continue reading
If you haven’t been in Times Square in New York City within the past few decades, it has been transformed into a realm of light and video with every available building and wall covered with electronic billboards advertising products and … Continue reading
Apparently, Monday was World Photography Day. In its honor, a bit belatedly, here is a photo of Brunel’s revolutionary ship, SS Great Britain, taken in 1844. Not only is it believed to be the first photograph of the Great Britain, but … Continue reading
On or around August 20th, 1619, four hundred years ago today, the privateer White Lion made landfall at Point Comfort, Virginia. Short on supplies, the privateer’s crew was eager to sell its cargo for food. The cargo for sale was “20, … Continue reading
The Okjökull glacier, northeast of Reykjavik, was known simply as Ok to Icelanders. (In Icelandic, jökull means glacier.) In 1890, Ok’s ice covered 16sq km (6.2 square miles) but by 2012 it measured just 0.7sq km, according to a report … Continue reading
Sad news reported by ClassicSailboats.org. The 114-year-old sailing yacht Iolaire was lost off Ibiza in late July. She ran ashore after an uncontrolled jibe and sank. The crew escaped without injury. Iolaire, previously owned for over half a century by … Continue reading
Neoline, a French designer and operator of cargo sailing ships, is partnering with car manufacturer Groupe Renault, heavy equipment builder Manitou, and boat builder Groupe Beneteau, to build two 136-meter ro-ros, each with 4,200 square meters of sail area and … Continue reading
Today is “National Rum Day” in the United States. Why? Why not? In observation of the day, it seems worthwhile to consider the role of rum at sea. Before there was rum, there was water. The problem with water was … Continue reading
On Wednesday, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, set sail from Plymouth, England on a racing yacht bound for New York. She is traveling to participate in United Nations climate talks in September, and she refuses to fly because aviation … Continue reading
Forty years ago today, on the third day of the 605-mile Fastnet Race, an unexpectedly strong storm struck the fleet with tragic results. The fleet of 303 sailing yachts had set off on August 11,1979 in clear weather with calm … Continue reading
In March of 2018, we posted about a pilot project led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS) to develop autonomous barges, referred to as “roboats”, to carry cargo and passengers … Continue reading
The National Sailing Hall of Fame (NSHOF) announced 10 individuals in its 2019 class of inductees. It is an eclectic mix. The recipients include Sailmaker Robbie Doyle; Olympic Gold Medalist Buddy Friedrichs; sailing’s first-ever Women’s Olympic Gold Medalist Allison Jolly; … Continue reading