Last Tuesday, the 3,080 passenger cruise ship, Emerald Princess, approached Nawiliwili Harbor, on Kauai’s southeast coast, in Hawaii. Nawiliwili was the ship’s first port of call after departing from Los Angeles on a 16-night Hawaiian Islands itinerary. The National Weather … Continue reading
On Valentine’s Day, a few Valentine Islands. Are they islands of love on the storm-tossed seas of life? Sadly, they are probably not, but at least they do resemble Valentine’s Day hearts. … Continue reading
Why am I a slave? I will run away. I will not stand it. Get caught or get clear, I’ll try it. I may as well die with ague as with fever. I have only one life to lose. I may as well be killed running as die standing. Only think of it: one hundred miles north, and I am free! Try it ? Yes ! God helping me, I will. It cannot be that I shall live and die a slave. I will take to the water…
Continue readingA global internet poll has named a new species of deep-sea chiton – a type of marine mollusc – from the genus Ferreiraella. The chiton was discovered in 2024 in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench of the coast of Japan at a depth … Continue reading
Martin Luther King Jr. popularized the saying, “The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.” It would be pleasant to think that this is always the case. Given the recent political climate, the quote may be overly … Continue reading
Robert Smalls is an American hero, well worth celebrating every day of the year, not only during Black History Month. An updated repost in honor of the remarkable story of Robert Smalls. On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, a 23-year-old … Continue reading
Updated: Several blog readers pointed out that in focusing on the history of Harriet Tubman and her leadership in the Great Combahee Ferry Raid, I failed to mention the bridge over the Combahee River named in her honor. (Thanks, Doug … Continue reading
For several years now, we have followed the all-electric hydrofoil runabouts designed and built by Candela. Now the Swedish boat builder and engineering design firm has moved beyond runabouts to delivering the P -12, the world’s first serial-production electric hydrofoiling passenger … Continue reading
As we posted recently, the Coast Guard has been busy breaking ice in New York Harbor. The current forecasts suggest that the frigid weather is likely to continue for several more weeks, so the ice breaking is also expected to … Continue reading
In the winter Northern hemisphere, US Coast Guard icebreaking tugs have been hard at work breaking ice in harbors along the East Coast, including New York Harbor.
Continue readingLast month, the US Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) began icebreaking operations in the Southern Ocean in support of Operation Deep Freeze 2026. The deployment also marked the cutter’s 50th year of commissioned service. This milestone was further … Continue reading
Virginia ” Ginny” Oliver has hauled her last lobster pot. Widely known as Maine’s “Lobster Lady,” she died quietly at age 105. Oliver began lobstering at age 8 alongside her father and older brother and spent over a century hauling … Continue reading
On December 6, 2025, beaches in the county of Sussex on the southern coast of England were battered by barrages of bananas. Tons of bananas washed ashore at Selsey, Bognor Regis, and Pagham Harbour in West Sussex. Some also washed … Continue reading
Last week, Rear Admiral Michael Day retired after more than 40 years of service in the US Coast Guard. Over his career, he served in a range of responsible positions, in locations ranging from the Arctic to Taiwan and throughout … Continue reading
Trump recently announced that the Navy will begin the construction of “two brand new, very large, the largest we’ve ever built battleships.” He claims that the new battleships, which he has named after himself, the Trump Class, will be “the … Continue reading