Blustery winds, gray skies and rain marked the beginning of the 6,000 nautical mile Sprint 3 of the Velux Five Oceans Singlehanded Around the World Race. The four remaining boats departed Sunday from Wellington, New Zealand bound for to Punta del … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
On this the 183th anniversary of the birth of Jules Verne, it seems worthwhile to look at the submarines named Nautilus. Click on any of the thumbnails for a larger image. … Continue reading
The United States is far behind the countries of Western Europe and China in the development of offshore wind power. Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced a few steps toward catching up. … Continue reading
Last month we posted about a rendezvous of the “Three Queens,” the RMS Queen Mary II, the MS Queen Elizabeth and the MS Queen Victoria in New York harbor. Of the three ships only the Queen Mary II has the distinction of … Continue reading
The sinking of the frigate INS Vindhyagiri, following a collision with the container ship MV Nordlake, last Sunday near Mumbai harbor, is the worst-ever peacetime loss for the Indian Navy. That the accident occurred as the warship was returning … Continue reading
“Spice” is apparently the generic name for so-called “synthetic marijuana” or “fake pot.” In most states, it is still perfectly legal, though that may be changing. “Spice” is, however, not OK with the US Navy. At the end of last … Continue reading
The barque Picton Castle, known for its around the world voyages, is offering cruises this summer sailing around Newfoundland. It sounds fantastic. Sail Around Newfoundland Starkly stunning coastline. Incredible whales, seabirds and maybe even icebergs. Hospitable folks in big towns and small outport … Continue reading
Somehow this sounds like a really bad idea. I just hope everyone brings sun screen. Back in October, the BBC ran an article about a Lithuanian company’s plans for a Maldive island resort run entirely by blondes. The proposed development was reported on again this week … Continue reading
The press release, translated from the French by Google, reads, “Maxi Banque Populaire V hit a UFO*. ” The footnote clarifies that the trimaran hit an “unidentified floating object.” (Late last month we posted about the trimaran Banque Populaire V setting off … Continue reading
A wonderful video highlighting the educational programs on the schooner Spirit of South Carolina. Spirit of South Carolina Tall Ship program [iframe: title=”YouTube video player” class=”youtube-player” type=”text/html” width=”480″ height=”295″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/TQVS21CoBcQ” frameborder=”0″ allowFullScreen] Thanks to Troy LeBoeuf for pointing it out. … Continue reading
Lieutenant Noel Cashford Lieutenant Noel Cashford, who has died aged 88, was among the last of the wartime RNVR bomb and mine disposal officers (BDOs), and helped develop the principles which govern mine clearance today. Read the rest of the … Continue reading
On Monday, the Polar Star struck a rock while at anchor near Detaille Island, a small island off the Northern end of Arrowsmith Peninsula in Antarctica. The grounding damaged the outer hull of the double hulled ship. The ship sailed for the Arctowski Station, … Continue reading
Jim Turton, from Colchester, Ontario, turned 45 years old today. Because of the efforts of the officers and crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Morro Bay, a 140 foot Bay class icebreaker, he just may have a shot at … Continue reading
In 1958, the New York Times published a review of Louis de Rochemont’s new movie “Windjammer.” It began: “Every last moviegoer with a drop of salt water in his blood will want to swing aboard “Windjammer,” which opened at the … Continue reading
Now that the SS United States Conservancy has acquired the S.S. United States, the next question is – what they are going to do with her? Her interior was gutted in 1994 to remove considerable quantities of asbestos. … Continue reading
Today, the SS United States Conservancy purchased the S.S. United States from Norwegian Cruise Line. As we posted last July, the sale was made possible by a reported $5.8 million pledge by Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest. The sale was delayed when the … Continue reading
There are an estimated two million protesters in the streets on Cairo today; most rail, trucking and buses are shut down across Egypt, yet the Suez Canal, which can represent up 8 percent of global seaborne trade, remains open and in operation. Military escorts for protection … Continue reading
Mumbai can be tough on container ships. Last August the bulk carrier Khalijia 3 steered into the containership MSC Chitra , sinking her, causing a significant spill and closing the port for five days. Yesterday, the Indian warship, INS Vindhyagiri and Cyprus-flagged … Continue reading
Last July, we posted about North Carolina’s oldest shipwreck which was moved to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum for preservation. Now the curators at the museum are trying to learn,as quickly as possible, how to preserve the crumbling … Continue reading
The New York Daily News reported good news this morning: Whales return to New York City: Massive mammals appearing again in seas near city; draws sightseers … Continue reading