In June we posted about ships using SkySails to reduce fuel costs by an estimated 10 to 35%. (See Go Fly a Kite? A Look at SkySails) One possibly unforeseen hazard of the SkySails became clear last week when an aircraft and a … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
On Sept. 20, 1519, Portuguese navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set out from Spain on five ships on a voyage to find a western passage to the Spice Islands in Indonesia. (Magellan was killed en route, but … Continue reading
While New York may have a great yearly tug boat race, I recently discovered that Halifax harbor has a real Theodore Tugboat. In the 1990s, “Theodore Tugboat”, was a Canadian kid’s TV show about a harbor tug in the “Big Harbor”. In the … Continue reading
Well it is that time of year again. In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day …. Somali-English dictionary Spare me the lame” arrgghs” and “shiver me timbers”. If you want to talk like a budhcad badeed (Somali for pirate) … Continue reading
Following up on our previous posts – Dutch Barges invade New York and The Dutch Barge Fleet has Arrived in New York. From the AP: Dutch flotilla makes its way north on Hudson River A flotilla of historic Dutch sailing ships is … Continue reading
The October 2009 National Geographic magazine has a fascinating story of a 16th century shipwreck on a beach in southern Namibia. In 1533 a Portuguese trading ship carrying a fortune in gold and ivory, bound for the famed spice ports of India, was swept ashore and wrecked … Continue reading
SS Columbia, built in 1902, is the oldest surviving passenger steam vessel in the United States. The SS Columbia Project is dedicated to restoring and operating the classic passenger steamer. They are holding their first official fundraising event tommorrow featuring … Continue reading
Australian adventurer Don McIntyre and teenage circumnavigator Mike Perham to re-enact Capt William Bligh’s epic mutiny on the Bounty open boat voyage Australian adventurer and solo round the world sailor, Don McIntyre announced today that Mike Perham, the world’s youngest … Continue reading
Sad news regarding a a remarkable woman and sailor. Amanda Ridgely Lake Amanda Ridgely Lake died in her home in Fairhaven, MA on August 19. Ms. Lake was 44. Ms. Lake was only one of a handful of women to … Continue reading
Lee shores were long the bane of sailing ships. They are no better for motor vessels who lose their engines or drag their anchors. Table Bay where the SELI 1 grounded is just such a lee shore and has been a … Continue reading
“Super yachts” rarely impress me. Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich’s megayacht, “Eclipse,” may be the largest private yacht now sailing but it is, to my eye at least, a bit boring. It may be over 550 feet long and cost a … Continue reading
After four voyages the solar panels on the upper of the NYK car carrier Auriga Leader have performed better than was expected but have also demonstrated how far there is to go in harnessing solar power. The ship has generated 32,300 … Continue reading
The Aubrey/Maturin series of novels by Patrick O’Brian introduced the world to, among other things, a range of obscure traditional British cuisine, which notably included suet puddings such as “Floating Island”, the unappetizing “Drowned Baby” and the perennial favorite “Spotted Dick”. This … Continue reading
From Marine Log: A fireboat launched September 11, 2009 at Eastern Shipbuilding, Panama City, Fla. is named the Three Forty Three in honor of the 343 New York City firefighters killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. … Continue reading
I’ve always been struck by the tragedy that those most in need of ferry service are often also most at risk. We have seen recent ferry accidents in the Philippines with the sinking of the Superferry 9 resulting in nine deaths, in … Continue reading