The Isle of Wight based charity, the Little Brig Sailing Trust, now has the bragging rights of owning a fleet of the world’s smallest tall ships. (Actually they have only two ships, so perhaps they could also claim the smallest … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
l’Hydroptère, a hydrofoil trimaran, is the fastest sailing vessel on the water. Last November, it sailed at an average speed of 50.17 knots over one nautical mile. l’Hydroptère also holds the speed record of 51.36 knots over 500 meters. … Continue reading
Last July, we posted a video of the Fisherman’s Friends singing the chantey ‘South Australia.’ The group is made up of ten crab and lobster fishermen and their friends who live within half a nautical mile of each other … Continue reading
The norovirus has hit the Celebrity Mercury with a vengeance. The Mercury returned to its home port of Charleston today, a day early, and the next cruise will be delayed by two days for an extensive top-to-bottom cleaning and sanitizing of the ship. This … Continue reading
The death of Eustace at the Battle of Sandwich The Oxford Dictionary of National Bi0graphies features an intriguing character from history today – Eustace the Monk, a Benedictine monk from the 13th century who was also a sea captain, a mercenary and … Continue reading
Lila-Lou, a yacht design firm, has developed an intriguing concept design, the Ankida, with integrates sails, masts and keel. Whether their design is feasible and seaworthy remains to be seen, but the animation of their new design is fascinating. ANKIDA Sailing Lila-Lou presents … Continue reading
A sunken British frigate rumored to be carrying gold to pay the troops? Sounds a lot like the HMS Hussar which sunk in New York in 1780. This more recent discovery is the British storeship Prince, which sank in the Black Sea in a … Continue reading
Death of a Coast Guard Legend – Lieutenant Herbert M. Collins Crosses the Bar A Coast Guard Legend passed away yesterday. Lieutenant Herbert M. Collins, USCG (RET), the last survivor of the legendary Pea Island Life Saving Station, passed away … Continue reading
I will admit to being easily amused, but I found this to be very funny. For those with more money than sense, here is a “couture superyacht” designed by a fashion designer. I would worry that it might be more fashionable … Continue reading
Last January we posted about the the HMS Superb, a British nuclear submarine, which in 2008 crashed into a massive stone pinnacle under the Red Sea. (See Submarines Navigating Badly.) Now the commander and two other officers have been … Continue reading
Last December we posted about Katie Spotz’s attempt to row across the Atlantic alone. Yesterday she arrived in Georgetown, Guyana, in South America, after 70 days 5 hours 22 minutes in the Atlantic. Spotz, 22, is now the youngest person … Continue reading
One salty dog, indeed. Thanks to David Hayes for passing the article along. Dog skeleton from Mary Rose displayed in Portsmouth A dog which sailed aboard the Mary Rose ship 465 years ago is to take up residence in the … Continue reading
Some call today Pi day, as the first three digits of the date (3.14) are the first three digits of the constant pi used to calculate the circumference and area of a circle. Which makes it a good day to raise a toast … Continue reading
The 58 year old, SS United States, built at Newport News, may be at risk of being scrapped but it now appears that the MV Doulos, the world’s oldest ocean-going passenger vessel, may not be making a trip to the … Continue reading
The U.S. Naval Academy Museum will be hosting a large exhibition of paintings by Patrick O’Brien through April 30th. No, not that Patrick O’Brian, Patrick O’Brien the Baltimore based maritime artist. The Annapolis Marine Art Gallery will be hosting … Continue reading
The monsoons have ended which means that it is pirate season again off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. The bad news is that it is now estimated that piracy off Somalia is costing the international … Continue reading
A few updates on previous posts: The USNS Comfort, the Navy hospital ship deployed to Haiti after the earthquake is on her way home: Navy hospital ship to begin journey home from Haiti The Jewel of Muscat, the replica of … Continue reading
Gribbles? A wood eating marine pest may lead to a breakthrough in biofuels? What’s next? Teredo worms as a cure for cancer? An intriguing article from the Times. Thanks to Alaric Bond for the reference. ‘Gribble’ marine pest may be key … Continue reading
There is an interesting ongoing conflict over the salvaging of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee which was scuttled in the River Plate in 1939. A Uruguayan businessman has been salving parts of the Graf Spee for the last ten … Continue reading
Dewey on the Olympia at Manila Bay I am not sure if it is irony or merely a confirmation that Faulkner was right – the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past. Not long after the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia … Continue reading