Louis Jordan, Sixty Six Days Adrift — What Really Happened?

Reading about sailing in the media is often like reading a mystery story. The question is not, however, “who done it?” but “what really happened?”  The reports of Louis Jordan who was found adrift in his disabled sailboat off Cape … Continue reading →

The Strange Saga of the Fake Pirate Ship, Liana’s Ransom — Rescue and Two Dismastings

On Monday, the US Coast Guard rescued nine crew members from the schooner, Liana’s Ransom, off the coast of Maine, after the schooner suffered engine failure and her sails became fouled. There are now reports that the schooner also lost … Continue reading →

Russian Trawler Dalniy Vostok Sinks Off Kamchatka — 56 Dead, 13 Missing

Dalniy Vostok, a Russian freezer trawler, has sunk in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Kamchatka peninsula. Of the 132 people aboard, 56 are reported to have died, while 13 remain missing. Sixty-three people were rescued.  The trawler sank quickly at around 06:30 local … Continue reading →

Update: WHC Movie Night — MV Liemba

Last week we posted that the Working Harbor Committee is sponsoring the showing of a wonderful documentary on the MV Liemba, an ex-German warship, a minor movie star, and also, at one hundred years old, the world’s oldest passenger ferry in service. The documentary … Continue reading →

Commodore John Barry — the Other Father of the US Navy

This seems like a good day to celebrate birthdays.  So, happy birthday to Commodore John Barry, born on this day in 1745, in Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland.  He is considered by many to be the “father of the United States Navy.”  But … Continue reading →