Updated Repost on Trafalgar Day Plus One : Conrad on Nelson — What if the Wind Had Shifted?

I am currently traveling, so I managed to miss Trafalgar Day. Here is an updated repost in honor of Nelson’s great victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets a day ago on October 21, in 1805. There is a … Continue reading

Orca Encounters Continue on Spanish Coast, New Restrictions on Smaller Sailboats Issued

Last September, the Spanish government issued restrictions on operating sailboats less than 15 meters long off a section of its Galician coast after multiple cases of encounters with pods of orcas, also known as killer whales. Last week, Spain issued … Continue reading

Conrad on Nelson at Trafalgar

The final essay in Joseph Conrad’s wonderful, if somewhat odd book, The Mirror of the Sea,  is entitled “The Heroic Age.”  It starts out rather disappointingly as a paean to Nelson.  There is nothing wrong with praising Nelson, except that everyone does it, so another bit … Continue reading