Maiden, a new documentary by Alex Holmes, which opens today, tells the story of the first all-female team to race against all odds in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989-1990. Tracy Edwards, an experienced British sailor in her … Continue reading
Category Archives: Seastories
Originally published in gCaptain.com. Reposted with permission. Discovery Channel (Canada)’s new documentary series, “Disasters at Sea,” premieres on April 16th at 10 PM ET. The first episode, “Trapped in Typhoon Alley,” looks at the mysterious sinking of the Capesize Ore/Bulk/Oiler … Continue reading
We are a few days late in wishing the iconic cartoon character, Popeye the sailorman, a happy birthday. (Frankly, I am not sure how one sends birthday wishes to a cartoon character, in any case.) Popeye first appeared on January … 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
If you are in the neighborhood, consider joining us when I give a presentation about my novel, Hell Around the Horn, at the National Maritime Historical Society Seminar Series this Saturday at the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose, … Continue reading
Here is another old favorite, a companion repost to yesterday’s repost of “The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?” We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.” It recounted how three men named Hugh … 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
Congratulations to Neil and Ariel Weisbrod. Their documentary, Secrets of a Frozen Ocean, won Best Documentary at the New York City International Film Festival. I was fortunate enough to see the world premiere of this fascinating documentary last Wednesday. The premiere, fittingly … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about four barrels of rum from Lunenburg’s Ironworks Distillery which are being carried around the globe by the barque Picton Castle on its seventh circumnavigation. The sea voyage is expected to nicely age the rum. Of course, distilled spirits being … 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
“The Mercy” is a soon to be released film about Donald Crowhurst‘s attempt to win the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, the first single-handed, non-stop, around-the-world race in 1969. The film stars Colin Firth as Crowhurst and Rachel Weisz as his wife, Clare. Crowhurst was … Continue reading