The Military Sealift Command (MSC) operates approximately 125 replenishment and military transport ships to support the US Navy. Currently, MSC has more ships than it has civilian mariners to sustainably operate them. MSC’s commander confirmed Thursday that the command will … Continue reading
Category Archives: Newbooks
In July of last year, we posted about Captain Bill Pinkney‘s induction into the National Sailing Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Achievement Award as an “Enthusiastic Trend Setter.” Captain Pinkney was the first African American to solo-circumnavigate the world via Cape … Continue reading
Whether as a holiday gift or just great reading for the New Year, check out the latest nautical fiction from Old Salt Press authors Alaric Bond, Joan Druett, Antione Vanner, and Seymour Hamilton. The Seeds of War, (The Fighting Sail … Continue reading
The second of two wonderful books recently released by Old Salt Press. Today we are spotlighting Angel’s Share: A Story from the World of The Astreya Trilogy by Seymour Hamilton. About the book: Angel, a very old man who once … Continue reading
There are two wonderful new books from Old Salt Press. Today we spotlight Lone Escort by Alaric Bond, the thirteenth book of his “Fighting Sail” series. About the book: The North Atlantic in spring is a perilous place and, with … Continue reading
The Winter 2020 edition of Quarterdeck, hosted by McBooks, is out. If you like nautical fiction, the quarterly e-journal edited by George Jepson is a treasure. The Winter 2020 edition features an interview with Alaric Bond and a review of … Continue reading
A short video introduction by Antione Vanner to his latest historical naval adventure novel, Britannia’s Mission, set in 1883. Vanner’s “Dawlish Chronicles” series of naval adventures are set in the late Victorian era when technological progress was more rapid than at … Continue reading
What is it about the pirates of the so-called “Golden Age” that holds our attention over the centuries? The period has been romanticized and fictionalized in books, British musicals, Hollywood movies, and cable TV shows. Where do the legend and lore … Continue reading
In 1614, Dutch sailor Adriaen Block explored the over 70 islands of the archipelago between the mouth of the Hudson and Fisher’s Island. Four hundred years later, photographer, videographer, and writer Thomas Halaczinsky, set off on his 30-foot sailboat, on a … Continue reading
My latest novel, Evening Gray Morning Red, has received not one, but two, wonderful reviews on the Pirates and Privateers blog, by Cindy Vallar and Irwin Bryan, respectively. Excerpts from Cindy Vallar’s review: “Gripping nautical and historical fiction at its best… Spilman deftly brings … Continue reading
If you are in the area next Monday night, January 22nd at 7:30 PM, be sure to stop by the South Street Seaport Museum’s Melville Gallery at 213 Water Street, in lower Manhattan. I will be presenting “From John Hancock’s … Continue reading
A review of Evening Gray Morning Red by George Jepson in the Winter 2018 issue of Quarterdeck: Cracking open Evening Gray Morning Red, Rick Spilman’s new novel, I was hooked by the first paragraph, which took me back four decades to … Continue reading
I am very pleased and grateful that my new novel, Evening Gray Morning Red, has been selected to be on gCaptain‘s list of the Best Nautical Books Of 2017. About the novel: In Evening Gray Morning Red a young American … Continue reading
My short story Bloody Rain — Murder, Madness and the Monsoon, set on a sailing ship in the 1880s, is free as an ebook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. That’s right — free. Feel free to grab a copy. About … Continue reading
I am pleased to announce that my latest novel Evening Gray Morning Red is now available in print and as an ebook. A little about the novel: In Evening Gray Morning Red, a young American sailor must escape his past and the clutches … Continue reading
My latest novel, Evening Gray Morning Red, will be published on October 15th in print and as an ebook. The Kindle ebook is available for pre-order on Amazon. About the novel: In Evening Gray Morning Red, a young American sailor must escape … Continue reading
My review of Eric Jay Dolin’s Brilliant Beacons : A History of the American Lighthouse, originally published in gCaptain. Reposted with permission. Next only perhaps to an anchor, lighthouses are symbols of security and safety. Even with modern electronic navigation, there … Continue reading
On the afternoon of December 17th, 1927, the US Navy submarine S-4 was surfacing near Provincetown, MA, when it was run down by US Coast Guard destroyer Pauling, sending the submarine to the bottom. Joseph William’s latest book, “Seventeen Fathoms … Continue reading
On Thursday, September 8th at 6PM. James M. Kendra and Tricia Wachtendorf will discuss and sign copies of their new book, American Dunkirk: The Waterborne Evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11 on the historic ex-Coast Guard Cutter Lilac at Pier 25 … Continue reading
Congratulations to Linda Collison! Her novel Water Ghosts is a Foreword Reviews’ 2015 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist. In our review from last May we wrote: In Linda Collison’s new novel, Water Ghosts, seven troubled teenagers embark on a vintage … Continue reading