Here is a wholly random question. When and where was William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet first performed on shipboard? The first recorded shipboard performance of Hamlet, and one of the earlier performances anywhere, was in September 1607 on the East India Company … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
In May of last year, we posted about the Russians’ first floating nuclear power plant, “Akademik Lomonosov — Floating Chernobyl or Nuclear Titanic?.” At the time, the barge-mounted power plant was essentially completed but needed to be loaded with fuel. … Continue reading
More evidence that the first travelers to the Americas may have been sailors. The classic theory of the arrival of early people in North America was the Clovis model. The theory was that early humans migrated to North America by … Continue reading
Back in 2012, we posted about a series of photos that were floating around the internet. The photos were taken from a yacht that had encountered what appeared to be a beach, stretching as far as the eye could see … Continue reading
Imagine a yacht that is almost completely silent, with a close to unlimited range, and that doesn’t pollute. While it may sound too good to be true, this is what Silent Yachts is aiming for in its line of electrically-powered … Continue reading
I recently came across a reference for a “nocturnal for both bears.” It sounded, at first, like a piece of music written by Mussorgsky or perhaps Prokofiev, which it isn’t. It is a device used for telling time at night … Continue reading
Here is a fun “superlapse” video of last weekend’s Gloucester Schooner Festival Parade of Sail. Gloucester Schooner Festival Parade of Sail 2019 … Continue reading
I was away for the 27th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race last weekend so I am grateful for this wonderful video from Youtube shot from the winning tug, Vinik No. 6, in an exciting race on a beautiful Sunday … Continue reading
For the last several days, Jeanne Socrates has been within sight of the mountains of the Vancouver coast, tantalizingly close to completing her 4th circumnavigation, and, at 77, becoming the oldest person to sail around the world solo, unassisted and … Continue reading
The cruise industry in the Caribbean is donating to help the Bahamian victims of Hurricane Dorian. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian Caribbean and Disney have all pledged millions in hurricane relief. Royal Caribbean is committing $1 million to Dorian disaster relief, … Continue reading
The 43rd Annual Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend, WA, starts this Friday and runs through the weekend, September 6-8, 2019. It is billed as the largest wooden boat festival in North America and promises to be a place where … Continue reading
A horrific fire broke on the commercial scuba diving vessel, Conception, off Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands of California, early on Monday morning. Thirty-four people are believed to have died in the fire. Five of six crew members … Continue reading
On September 7th at 2PM, the Plimoth Plantation‘s Mayflower II will be launched and recommissioned at Mystic Seaport Museum. The replica of the ship which carried the Pilgrims to Plymouth, MA has undergone a major three-year restoration at the seaport’s … Continue reading
Classic Sailor reports on a new Thames sailing barge: A new sailing barge is a rare sight – but in 1900 there were around 4,000 such barges registered to carry cargo up and down the London river – and the … Continue reading
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
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