Here is a short video by the Harbor School, a public high school located on Governors Island in New York harbor. The school’s mission is to “provide a college-preparatory education built upon New York City’s maritime experience that instills in students … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
Seventy years ago today, on January 30, 1945, the German passenger liner MV Wilhelm Gustloff sank in the Baltic after being struck by three torpedoes from a Soviet submarine. An estimated 9,400 died in the sinking, making it the largest loss of … Continue reading
Tommy Thompson’s two years on the run has come to an end. He was arrested yesterday in a Palm Beach, Florida hotel. Thompson was arrested along with his longtime companion, Alison Anteiker. In September, we posted about the continued recovery … Continue reading
A video shot and edited by Dave Elsmo about the Deuce, the world’s largest iceboat, on Lake Mendota, in Madison, WI during the Wisconsin Stern Steerers Association Regatta. The 54′ stern-steerer speed demon built in the 1930s and rebuilt in … Continue reading
The sloop Providence, a 1976 built replica of the Continental Navy sloop of the same name, was blown off her jack stands while on shore at Newport Shipyard in Newport, Rhode Island on Tuesday in blizzard conditions. The ship was dis-masted … Continue reading
Peggy, the oldest yacht in the UK and the oldest schooner in the world, is being restored. Sometime between 1786 and 1791, George Quayle of Castletown, on the Isle of Man, had a shallop built, which he named Peggy. A shallop is a … Continue reading
A major blizzard is heading for the US Northeast coast today. It has been given the name Winter Storm Juno. If the prediction models are accurate, Juno may set a new record for snowfall in metropolitan New York City. So, it … Continue reading
A fascinating video of dolphins and whales creating and then playing with bubble rings — toroidal vortices, also known as vortex rings. (Also a bit of volcanoes blowing smoke rings.) Extraordinary Toroidal Vortices … Continue reading
This May will be the 250th anniversary of the launching of HMS Victory, the 104-gun first-rate Royal Navy ship of the line best known as Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. HMS Victory was also Keppel’s flagship at … Continue reading
Redbird Reef lies sixteen miles out in the Atlantic Ocean from the Indian River inlet, near the ominously named Slaughter Beach, Delaware. One of three explanations for the town’s name is that the first postmaster was William Slaughter. Likewise, while many … Continue reading
The ferry MV Kalaka is making its last voyage today, a short trip to the scrap yard. The 276′ ferry carried millions of cars in the Puget Sound between Seattle and Bremerton between 1935 and 1967 and was notable for her streamlined … Continue reading
New York harbor has lost part of its living history with the passing of Sal Polisi, longtime volunteer and master carver at the South Street Seaport Museum. For three decades, Polisi carved everything from figureheads to wooden signs, using the time honored methods of … Continue reading
Recently, the NY Times and others have been reporting on the installation of the first commercial wind turbine in New York City. The Sims Municipal Recycling facility in Sunset Park on the Brooklyn waterfront has installed a 100 KW 160′ … Continue reading
Last May, Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi posted on her blog, Maybe you were thinking, “Hey, what happened to that vagina boat?” Well, good news: The vagina boat finally set sail. (Honestly, the question hadn’t crossed my mind.) Igarashi, who goes by the … Continue reading
The Norwegian firm Lade AS is developing a hybrid ship design, Vindskip, in which the ship sails using lift off its airfoil shaped hull. It is an intriguing design. Nevertheless, I can’t quite figure out how it would work in … Continue reading