Missile & Drone Barrage Escalates as Three Killed in Houthi Missile Attack in Gulf of Aden

A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned, bulk carrier while transiting the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The deaths are the first merchant mariner fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned … Continue reading

Women’s History Month — Eleanor Creesy, Navigator of the Clipper Ship Flying Cloud

On the first day of Women’s History Month, it is worth remembering Eleanor Creesy, the navigator of the clipper ship Flying Cloud, who with her husband, Captain Josiah Creesy, set world sailing records for the fastest passage between New York … Continue reading

Crew of Bulker MV Rubymar Abandons Ship off Yemen After Houthi Attack

On Sunday evening, anti-ship ballistic missiles, launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen, struck the MV Rubymar, a  32,211 DWT, Belize-flagged, UK-owned, and Lebanese-operated bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The attack caused sufficient damage … Continue reading

The End for the Falls of Clyde? Hawaii Seeking New Contractor to Remove Ship From Honolulu Harbor

The State of Hawaii is moving closer to removing the historic four-masted iron-hulled ship Falls of Clyde from Honolulu harbor, where it has languished since 2008.  Though owned by the nonprofit Friends of the Falls of Clyde, the state government … Continue reading

Update — El Nino Drought Results in Further Shipping Cuts to Panama Canal Transits

In August, we posted Panamax Meets Pana-Drought — Drought Restrictions In Canal Cause Delays and 200 Ship Backlog. A record drought associated with the naturally occurring El Nino climate pattern has resulted in one of the country’s driest years in … Continue reading

Berge Bulk Launches 21st Century “Windjammer” with 4 WindWings

In a press release on Tuesday, Berge Bulk, one the world’s leading dry bulk ship owners, announced the launch of its 211,153 DWT Newcastlemax bulker, Berge Olympus, with four retrofitted BARTech WindWings by Yara Marine Technologies. The WindWings installation is … Continue reading

91st Thames Sailing Barge Match, the Longest-Running Race for Traditional Sail

In 1863, Henry Dodd organized a race between Thames River sailing barges. It has become the longest-running, regularly organized, national racing event for traditional sail in the world. In absolute terms, it ranks as the second oldest sailing race behind … Continue reading

Windjammer Falls of Clyde at Honolulu Harbor to Lose Historic Designation

Last week, the State of Hawai’i Department of Transportation issued a statement that the windjammer Falls of Clyde, the only remaining iron-hulled four-masted full-rigged ship and the only surviving sail-driven oil tanker in the world, would soon be delisted from … Continue reading

De Tukker, Ecoclipper’s First Ship Sets Sail in Emission-Free Short-Sea Liner Service

Ecoclipper has announced that with the maiden voyage of the recently refitted De Tukke, their emission-free short-sea Western European liner service has begun. From their press release: De Tukker, the first ship operated by the sail cargo company Ecoclipper, has … Continue reading

Dramatic South Atlantic Rescue of Golden Globe Race Sailor Ian Herbert Jones

Ian Herbert Jones of Great Britain, competing in the 2022-23 Golden Globe Race, was successfully rescued after his Tradewind 35 Puffin had rolled over and dismasted, with the skipper injuring his back and incurring a gash to his head. Jones … Continue reading

Women’s History Month — Eleanor Creesy, Navigator of the Clipper Ship Flying Cloud

In honor of Women’s History Month, it is worthwhile remembering Eleanor Creesy, the navigator of the clipper ship Flying Cloud, who with her husband, Captain Josiah Creesy, set world sailing records for the fastest passage between New York and San … Continue reading

Remembering Frank Woerner, “Folk Father” & Shanty Singer

I was stunned and saddened to read that shanty singer and folklorist Frank Woerner has died. I haven’t seen an obituary yet, but I came across a Facebook post by Alison Kelley who wrote, “It is with great shock and … Continue reading

Update: Thames Sailing Barge Blue Mermaid Authorized to Carry Cargo in the Thames

In 2019, we posted about Blue Mermaid, the first sailing barge built for trade in Britain since 1930. Recently, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has granted permission to the Sea-Change Sailing Trust, which owns the Blue Mermaid, for the barge … Continue reading

Historic Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Returns to New Bedford

After seven years of reconstruction and restoration in Boothbay Harbor, ME, the historic schooner Ernestina-Morrissey returned to her home port in New Bedford, MA earlier this week.  “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the Ernestina-Morrissey sailing into New … Continue reading

Gilded Age Yacht Coronet Being Moved to Mystic to Complete Restoration

Coronet is a 131′ wooden-hull schooner yacht built for oil tycoon Rufus T. Bush in 1885. It is one of the oldest and largest vessels of its type in the world, and one of the last surviving grand sailing yachts … Continue reading

Update: UK Cancels Plans for £250m National Flagship Yacht

In June of last year, we posted that UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had announced the construction of a new national flagship intended to promote British businesses around the world. The proposal received a mixed response. As we noted in … Continue reading

Update: Montenegrin Mafia Boss Arrested in Billion Dollar Bust on MSC Gayane

In June 2019, Federal authorities raided the container ship MSC Gayane when the ship docked in Philadephia. They found and seized 20 tonnes of cocaine, worth over a billion dollars, stashed in shipping containers. The seizure was the largest cocaine … Continue reading

Santo Cristo de Burgos — Legendary “Beeswax” Shipwreck Found On Oregon Coast

In 2010, we posted about the mystery of the “beeswax ship,” the wreck of a Spanish galleon that left shards of Chinese pottery and blocks of beeswax in the sand of an Oregon beach. Now, National Geographic reports that timbers … Continue reading