The extremely small ship Adventure sails on. Last year we posted about the Playmobil toy pirate ship, named Adventure, launched by brothers Ollie and Harry Ferguson, 9 and 6 years old, respectively, from the port of Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After adding ballast and flotation to the just less than two-foot-long craft, the brothers sent Adventure to sea, with a note asking anyone who found the little ship to contact the boys and then send Adventure on its way.
Last summer the unlikely craft sailed about 390 miles to Denmark, then on to Sweden and then Norway. In Norway, it was taken aboard the full-rigged training ship, Christian Radich, which, late last year carried the craft into the Atlantic and launched it off the coast of Mauritania. A GPS tracker was also added to the tiny vessel. Recent reports have Adventure off the coast of South America, bound roughly for Barbados. Continue reading
I realize that I am in a rut. Every Earth Day, I say the same thing. Over 70% of the surface of this planet is covered by water, so referring to the planet as “earth” is just wrong. But be that as it may, the misnamed planet is still called Earth and Earth Day is a worthwhile celebration of protecting the planet, both the soil and the watery portions. Below is a TED talk by one of the world’s great sailors, Dame Ellen MacArthur, about what she learned when she was sailing around the world alone. As she circled the globe alone, she began thinking about the idea of “the circular economy,” an intriguing insight. Definitely worth watching.
The lobstermen of Maine are known for their independence. They don’t often ask for help. Like many other states, Maine has been struck hard by the opioid crisis. In many coastal communities, opioid addiction is taking a serious toll, particularly on lobstermen. How serious the problem is hard to say. Of the 376 people who died of drug overdoses in Maine last year, one cannot identify how many were fishermen as the state doesn’t keep records by profession. Anecdotally, however, the number appears to be disproportionately high. Some estimate that up to 50% of the stern men working in the $1.6 billion dollar a year industry have or have had problems with addiction.
On Tuesday, the 149 passengers on Southwest Airline’s Flight 1380 were shocked when about 20 minutes after takeoff from New York, the plane’s left engine exploded, blowing a hole in the fuselage. The rapid depressurization sucked one woman passenger partially out of the plane. The explosion also damaged the left wing and the flaps.
Researchers have located 
Aerial surveys attempting to identify endangered right whales have spotted swarms of 
The Flettner fleet is growing slowly but steadily. The LNG powered cruise ferry 
In June of 1912, Joseph Conrad wrote “
Two short accounts of seals showing up in somewhat unexpected places. 
The 
Talk about unintended consequences. The Washington State Ferry system and the US Coast Guard have a problem with forgotten bicycles. Over the last 18 months, 12 bicycles have been left aboard ferries, including three bike-share bikes. This turns out to be a rather big deal. Because a forgotten or abandoned bicycle might suggest that the owner could have gone overboard, it can trigger a search and rescue operation by Coast Guard and ferry personnel until the bicyclist can be confirmed safe.
Next January and February, an expedition to Antarctica will search for 
Yesterday 
Saturday was a bad day on the Bosphorus. The Maltese-flagged 74,269 DWT bulk carrier
Yesterday, we posted about the upcoming 
Fifty years ago this year, nine sailors set off in the 