A new study released this week suggests that offshore floating wind farms could generate enough energy to power the entire world. The study is not referring to the existing offshore wind farms in shallower waters but to deep-sea wind farms where the full power of the ocean’s winds can be utilized. It is an interesting analysis although somewhat theoretical as until very recently deeper-water floating wind turbines were either only on the drawing board or operating as small demonstration projects.
This summer, however, twenty-five kilometers off the coast of Peterhead in north-east Scotland, five floating wind turbines are being installed in depths of water of 95-120 meters. Known as Hywind, the facility will be the world’s first floating wind farm. Each turbine is 78-meters-tall and is held upright by underwater ballast and by three mooring lines. The project is being developed by Norway’s Statoil, which is seeking to diversify away from carbon-based fuels. The five turbines, each designed to generate six megawatts of electricity, are expected to power 20,000 households and are expected to go online within the month.
Yacht designer, boatbuilder, and entrepreneur George Cuthberston died on October 3, age 88. Cuthbertson was one of the founders of the Canadian yacht builder, 
The festivities associated with the 
More disturbing evidence has emerged in the death of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on the private submarine 
Next year, the UK port of 
On Sunday, October 15, the 
The schooner yacht 
The United States Coast Guard has set a new record for cocaine seizures at sea for the second year in a row. The 
There are always iconic objects that are almost irresistible in contemplation. They represent ideas which are far too easy to fall in love with. I really wanted to own an old style Volkswagen “bug” and then I owned one and understood my mistake. The old bug had a nearly indestructible engine but the body of the car had almost entirely rusted away. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Likewise, I had friends who were in love with the idea of converting an almost free surplus lifeboat into an oceangoing yacht. That didn’t work out too well either.
Among the fleet of ships and boats that make up the fleet at the 
Following the recent collisions between US Navy destroyers and merchant ships, various internet sites posted the AIS tracks of the collisions. Well, they posted half the AIS tracks anyway. The merchant ships used AIS while the Navy did not. While US Navy ships have AIS transponders onboard they do not transmit their positions nor apparently do Navy crews regularly consult the receivers showing the location and course of other ships. It was possible to track merchant ships’ courses but not the destroyers’. That now appears to be about to change. The Navy appears ready to finally switch their AIS transmitters on.