Following the example of Greta Thunberg, who traveled to a UN climate conference by sail in August, 36 young climate change activists set sail from Amsterdam on October 2, bound for COP25 – the United Nations Climate Conference. Rather than … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
North Korea appears to be aggressively developing the capacity to deploy a ballistic missile submarine even as it purports to continue to negotiate denuclearization with the current administration. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that North Korea successfully tested a new … Continue reading
One open question about the Bronze Age in the Middle East was where the tin was sourced. Bronze is an alloy of primarily copper and tin. Recently, scientists identified the surprising source of tin ingots found in three shipwrecks off … Continue reading
Civilian divers were on an archeological dive on the London, a Royal Navy ship built-in 1656 which exploded and sank in 1665 in the Thames Estuary. They were shocked to find a large World War II bomb in the wreck. … Continue reading
Hurricane Lorenzo strengthened briefly to a Category 5 storm over the weekend, becoming the strongest hurricane on record so far north and east in the Atlantic Ocean. On Saturday, we posted about the sinking of the tug-supply vessel Bourbon Rhode … Continue reading
The world’s oldest clipper ship, City of Adelaide, may be one step closer to having a permanent home. Last March we posted about how the clipper ship City of Adelaide was being kicked off Dock 1 in its namesake port … Continue reading
Three sailors have been rescued from a lifeboat following the sinking of the 164′ tug supply boat Bourbon Rhode in Hurricane Lorenzo. The remaining eleven crew members are missing. The tug had sent a distress signal on Thursday and a … Continue reading
In an upcoming PBS documentary, Octopus: Making Contact, a scientist observes an octopus changing color while sleeping upside down in a tank. Is it dreaming? Marine biologist Dr. David Scheel speculates what the dream might be in accordance with the … Continue reading
Van Dam Shipping, based in Spijk, Netherlands, has signed a contract for the installation of an eConowind propulsion system on its 3,600 DWT general cargo vessel Ankie. At first glance, two vertical structures in the graphic of the ship look … Continue reading
A disturbing new report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concludes that the rate at which the world’s oceans are heating up is accelerating and that sea levels are rising more quickly than previous predictions. The Special Report … Continue reading
The recent activation by TRANSCOM of 28 cargo ships, makes it a good time to take a look back at eight iconic shps from the 1970s still in service today. When I was a young student of naval architecture at … Continue reading
Back in 2016, we posted about a new owner for the ex-presidential yacht Sequoia, which had been sitting, deteriorating in a boatyard in Deltaville, VA. Now, three years later, the 104′ long motor vessel has been loaded aboard a barge to … Continue reading
The 36th America’s Cup Races, featuring foiling monohulls, is still 18 months away but are beginning to look very interesting. Two very different AC75 contenders have taken to the water recently — The New York Yacht Club Team American Magic‘s … Continue reading
Photographer Onne van der Wal’s “The Beauty of Sail,” a selection of videos and photographs which portray just that. Onne is a full time pro nautical shooter and sailor based in Newport, RI and has been at it since 1987. … Continue reading
Paradoxically, whale watching by tourists to Iceland is booming. At the same time, the primary economic support for the hunting of whales by Icelandic whalers are also tourists to the island. Iceland is the largest whale watching destination in Europe. … Continue reading
In November 2017, Sarah Thomas, a marathon swimmer from Colorado, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to fight the disease. One of the ways she coped was by continuing to swim. … Continue reading
Four ships from the Navy’s carrier Harry S. Truman Strike Group are deploying from the East Coast this week. Notably, the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman is not one of the ships being deployed as it is still undergoing repairs for … Continue reading
When crossing the Equator for the first time, sailors have traditionally undergone a “line-crossing ceremony” which often includes being dunked in the ocean three times. Recently, on my first northern line crossing, I inadvertently presided over my own unexpected dunking, … Continue reading
We have just gotten back from a week-long voyage along the west coast of Iceland from Akureyri to Reykjavik on the three-masted motor sailor Panorama. One of the stops was the village of Hólmavík, population 300. The village may be … Continue reading
On the same day that I heard the news of the horrific fire on the dive boat Conception which killed 34 passengers and crew, I also saw an article attacking the safety waivers granted to the riverboat Delta Queen. It … Continue reading