Happy autumnal equinox. The first day of Fall. I know of no good sailor’s tradition for the autumnal equinox. It seems to be too busy a time to stop for such foolishness. Everyone is trying to get the last trips … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
I recently learned a new figure of speech – “like painting the Forth Bridge,” which refers to a job which is never completed. Or at least it used to mean that. The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over … Continue reading
The US military’s previous policy toward gay service members; “don’t ask, don’t tell; officially came to an end yesterday. Naval officer, Lt. Gary Ross, chose the day to marry his partner of eleven years, Dan Swezy, in Duxbury, Vt. In Tulsa, … Continue reading
Updates on three previous posts: On Monday, Able Seaman Ryan Donovan was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to murdering a senior officer on board the HMS Astute last April. Submariner’s grudge turned proud day into tragedy British tourist Judith Tebbutt, … Continue reading
For something so relatively new, we take the internet very much for granted. The first graphical web browser is less than 20 years old. Nevertheless, the internet seems ubiquitous in most of our lives. But on a world that is over 70% ocean, how … Continue reading
Fifteen years ago, a group of sea shanty enthusiasts got together for an old fashioned shanty sing. Their first meeting was, fittingly enough on the windjammer Peking at South Street Seaport. For many years they met monthly at the Seaman’s Church … Continue reading
The folks at Jack Tar Magazine are sponsoring a writing contest, “The New Conrads” Storytelling Challenge, with some serious prize money attached. Whether you enter or not, it is an interesting exercise to consider what the world of shipping would look like in a … Continue reading
Last Wednesday, we posted Not Your Father’s America’s Cup – Plymouth Capsize Club. This video is about “your father’s America’s Cup.” The yacht is Stars and Stripes/ US34, captained by Dennis Connor in the America’s Cup. The contrast between the … Continue reading
If you think that you are having a bad Monday morning, consider the plight of the master of the container ship MSC Luciana. The ship was bound from Antwerp to Felixstowe when it ran aground on a sand bar in the Westerschelde, … Continue reading
There aren’t many publishers with a special interest in nautical fiction. Tom Grundner, the owner of Fireship Press, who died suddenly on September 11th, was one. I never had the chance to meet him in person, but I genuinely liked the man I knew only through … Continue reading
Today is “International Talk Like A Pirate Day.” Many use it as an excuse to dress up in bad costumes and shout “Aaargh, Matie” and “Shiver me Timbers,” in some sort of odd homage to Johnny Depp and the Disney … Continue reading
Talk about match racing! This Sunday off Newport Beach, CA, two identical brigantines, the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson, will race. They will be manned by crews from rival local clubs, the Bahia Corinthian and Balboa Yacht clubs, under the supervision … Continue reading
Today the Google “doodle,” the image that appears above the Google search box, was an orange. Why an orange? If you clicked on the doodle it took you to a search for Albert Szent-Györgyi, the Hungarian physiologist who is credited with discovering … Continue reading
Frankly, the A.J. Meerwald , the Kalmar Nyckel, and the Gazela deserve far better. The A.J. Meerwald, the “Official Tall Ship of the state of New Jersey,” is a 1928 built Delaware Bay oyster schooner. The Kalmar Nyckel , the Delaware’s “Official Tall Ship,” … Continue reading
Remarkable footage of blue whales from MSNBC. Thanks to Thomas Armstrong for pointing it out on Facebook. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy … Continue reading