While it was long thought that only humans made and used tools, we now know that a variety of apes and monkeys are toolmakers. Elephants, crows, sea otters and octopus have also been observed making tools. Now, we can add dolphins … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
The Coast Guard has issued its final report on the sinking of HMS Bounty in October 2012. You can read the report here. In the report, there is one oblique reference to 1998 in which “the Seventh Coast Guard District … Continue reading
There is a story that has been floating around the web about a 19 year old Dutch engineering student, Boyan Slat, who, if you believe the claims, has figured out how to clean almost half of the Great Pacific garbage patch in … Continue reading
Yesterday, while maneuvering our 18′ catboat through the traffic in the Morris Canal on the West bank of the Hudson off Lower Manhattan, we had the pleasure of crossing paths with the schooner Lettie G. Howard. Lettie is an 1893 Fredonia-model fishing schooner owned and … Continue reading
A recent news story and video spins a fascinating mystery. Scientists in Australia tagged a healthy 9-foot great white shark. Four months later they found the tracking device washed up on a beach. The data in the the tracking device … Continue reading
The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval warship afloat. The wooden three masted “super-frigate” in launched in 1797, is due for a three year overhaul and dry-docking starting in early 2015. Before the historic ship enters the shipyard, she will leave the … Continue reading
A little over a week ago, we posted about a 90′ yacht, valued at around $10 million, which capsized and sank on her launching in Anacortes, Washington. Since then there has been no definitive determination as to what caused the … Continue reading
A few years ago we posted about a grand piano which rather mysteriously showed up on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay near Miami. A few days ago, a grand piano showed up on a sand beach beneath the Brooklyn Bridge … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about the Big Rubber Duck, which is scheduled to lead the Tall Ships Grand Parade of Sail at the Tall Ships Festival L.A., August 20, 2014. One commenter suggested that we needed more rubber ducks while another suggested … Continue reading
Last week, the brig Unicorn sank after apparently hitting a submerged object on her way from St. Lucia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for dry docking. The captain and nine crew escaped by boat and were rescued by the … Continue reading
Good News — the State of Pennsylvania has committed $4.8 million for a major overhaul of the Brig Niagara. As reported by YourErie.com: “Maintaining the Brig Niagara, a sea-going legacy of American freedom and the sacrifices of the men who sailed her … Continue reading
The Sailing School Vessel Spirit of South Carolina is finally going to auction. As we posted in late 2011, the now defunct South Carolina Maritime Foundation ran into financial problems only a few years after the 90′ on-deck schooner went … Continue reading
How is your day going? It has to be better than the unfortunate folks at Northern Marine in Anacortes, Washington, who had a 90′ expedition motor yacht roll over and sink when it was launched last Sunday. Rescuers and first responders had … Continue reading
If the sea were influenced by public support and social media, the four missing sailors on the lost Beneteau 40.7, Cheeki Rafiki, would be home with their families by now. Unfortunately, that is not the case. One week ago today, the captain of … Continue reading
Sailors in the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will face more than just tough competition. They will be sailing in Guanabara Bay, a body of water thoroughly befouled with garbage and sewage. Falling overboard is not recommended. As reported by the … Continue reading
UPDATE: The US Coast Guard has resumed the search for the missing crew from the Cheeki Rafiki. Over 200,000 signed petitions asking that the search be resumed. British Prime Minister David Cameron thanked the Coast Guard on Twitter after it made … Continue reading
Two years ago, we posted about the the 150th anniversary of the seizure of the Confederate armed transport, CSS Planter, by Robert Smalls, a 23 year old mulatto slave, and eight fellow slaves. Smalls, who had served as the pilot of the … Continue reading
In early 2012, we posted about claims made by Greg Brooks of Sub Sea Research that they had found “the worlds richest shipwreck,” the British freighter, SS Port Nicholson, carrying a secret cargo of 71 tons of platinum, sunk by the … Continue reading
The Navy is issuing five Navy e-Reader Devices, or NeRDs, each preloaded with 300 books to each of the submarines in the fleet, and if all goes well plans to send NeRDs to all Navy vessels. The e-Readers are pretty … Continue reading
Columbus’ flagship, Santa Maria, ran aground and sank on Christmas Day 1492 off Haiti, on Columbus’ first voyage to the New World. Now after more than a decade’s research, underwater explorer Barry Clifford believes that he has found the wreck of … Continue reading