Home For Christmas — Old Style, A Poem by Cicely Fox Smith, Sung by Daniel Kelly

Home for Christmas — Old Style, a poem by Cicely Fox Smith, performed by Daniel Kelly from his Ukulele Christmas Singalong 2021. Home for Christmas – Old Style – Ukulele Christmas Singalong … Continue reading

Sting — Christmas At Sea (Live from Durham Cathedral)

We hope everyone is having a joyous holiday season.  Here is a repost of a beautiful version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem “Christmas at Sea,” performed by Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, better known as Sting. Sting – Christmas At Sea … Continue reading

Repost on the Winter Solstice — Shortest Day & Longest Shadows, or No Shadow At All

Happy Winter Solstice to all! In the northern hemisphere, today is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun is at its southernmost point of travel, over the imaginary circle on the globe we refer to … Continue reading

Oil Spill in Kerch Strait After Russian Tankers Sink During Black Sea Storm

Authorities in Russia have said two small Russian oil tankers sank or were seriously damaged in the Black Sea on Sunday, resulting in an oil spill in the Kerch Strait.  The two tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, each with cargo deadweights … Continue reading

HMS Victory, French Oak & the Ship of Theseus — Thoughts on Varied Lives of A Ship

The BBC recently reported that HMS Victory, one of the most celebrated warships in British history, is being repaired using wood from France. The conservation work is part of a 10-year project titled The Big Repair, which will cost £40-£45m. … Continue reading

Humpback Whale Makes Epic Migration of at Least 7,000 N Miles Across Three Oceans

The BBC reports that a humpback whale has made one of the longest and most unusual migrations ever recorded, possibly driven by climate change, scientists say. It was seen in the Pacific Ocean off Colombia in 2017 and then popped up … Continue reading

Remembering the Halifax Explosion of 1917 & the Boston Christmas Tree

One hundred and seven years ago today, on the morning of December 6, 1917, the French freighter SS Mont-Blanc and the SS Imo, a Norwegian ship chartered to carry relief supplies to Belgium, collided in the Narrows, a strait connecting … Continue reading

Update: Wisdom, the World’s Oldest Wild Bird, Lays a New Egg at 74

In March 2021, we posted about a Laysan albatross nicknamed Wisdom who, at the age of 70, had hatched a new chick. Wisdom is the oldest confirmed wild bird and the oldest banded bird in the world, having been first identified and banded on … Continue reading

Swedish Sailor Lost Overboard in ARC Ralley 2024

Yesterday, the World Cruising Club (WCC) released a statement regarding a Swedish sailor lost overboard in the mid-Atlantic from the Volvo 70 racing yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday while sailing with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). “It is with … Continue reading

Update: Egyptian Dive Boat Sinking — 5 Survivors Rescued After 30 Hours Trapped in Air Pocket

After the Egyptian liveaboard dive boat, Sea Story, capsized and sank in heavy weather in the Red Sea early Monday morning, 28 of the 44 passengers and crew were rescued. On Tuesday, divers rescued five additional survivors trapped in air … Continue reading

New Zealand Community Rallies to Save 30 Stranded Pilot Whales

Good news for change. On Sunday, a pod of more than 30 pilot whales became stranded on Ruakākā Beach near Whangārei in northern New Zealand. Hundreds of residents joined forces with conservationists to save the pod. The rescue effort was … Continue reading

Egyptian Liveaboard Dive Boat Sinks in Red Sea, Sixteen Missing

The Sea Story, a 44m Egyptian tourist liveaboard dive boat, sank in the Red Sea early this morning. Of the 44 aboard, including 13 crew, 28 were rescued while 16 remain missing. The crew was all Egyptian, while the tourists … Continue reading

US Navy’s Military Sealift Command to Sideline 17 Ships Due to Mariner Shortage

The Military Sealift Command (MSC) operates approximately 125 replenishment and military transport ships to support the US Navy. Currently, MSC has more ships than it has civilian mariners to sustainably operate them.  MSC’s commander confirmed Thursday that the command will … Continue reading

Facing Rising Seas, Can Tuvalu Become the First Digital Nation?

The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is facing an existential threat due to rising sea levels, caused by climate change. According to NASA, the sea level in Tuvalu has risen nearly 6 inches in the past 30 years and is expected … Continue reading

Update: Undersea Cables Cut — Chinese Bulk Carrier Suspected, Irish Navy Intercepts Russian Spy Ship

We posted yesterday about a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Germany that was severed Monday morning, and a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island that stopped working on Sunday. Chinese Bulk Carrier Detained … Continue reading

Baltic Sea Communications Cables Severed — Sabotage Suspected

Early Monday morning, a 1,170km (730-mile) telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Germany was severed, while a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island stopped working on Sunday. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said … Continue reading

Watch Given to Captain of Carpathia, Rescuer of 700 on Titanic, Sells for Record £1.56M at Auction

An interesting story from the Guardian. When the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912, approximately 1,500 died. The RMS Carpathia, under the command of Captain Arthur Rostron, rescued 706 passengers and crew from the Titanic‘s lifeboats. A … Continue reading

Rescuing Rye Seeds From 146 Year Old Shipwreck in Hopes of Resurrecting Michigan Crop

In November 1878, the wooden schooner James R. Bentley set sail from Chicago bound for Buffalo loaded with a large shipment of rye. It encountered heavy seas and gale-force winds during the voyage, struck a shoal, and sank near 40 … Continue reading