Monthly Archives: August 2009

Korea’s first clipper finally sets sail

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Rick Spilman

An interesting article from JoongAng Ilbo about a large sailing yacht once owned by an unnamed American Mafia boss. The yacht was in Korea for modifications, when the Mafiosa was arrested and sent to prison.  The boat was purchased by a Korean who … Continue reading →

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Would you prefer the Slimehead or the Orange Roughy?

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Rick Spilman

Which would you prefer to order from the menu  – slimehead or orange roughy?  Antarctic toothfish or Chilean sea bass?  Slimehead and orange roughy are the same fish, just as the Chilean sea bass is the Antarctic toothfish with a new … Continue reading →

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Nautical Reenactors on the Willow Wren

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Rick Spilman

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on this intriguing video of a group of German reenactors on the Willow Wren. The note with the video reads, (imperfectly translated by Google,) “Maritimes reenactment in 1807 of the Danish South Sea aboard the … Continue reading →

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Of Tall Ships and Stupid Lawyers

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Rick Spilman

The age of wooden ships and iron men is long gone.  We appear to be square in the era of tall ships and stupid lawyers.  From the SeaCoastonline: The American Sail Training Association sent a letter to the Piscataqua Maritime … Continue reading →

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The Long, Strange Journey of the Prins Willem

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Rick Spilman

The Prins Willem, the replica Dutch East Indiaman destroyed by fire a few days ago, was an unusual ship.  She was built in 1985 in in Friesland in 1985 as an exhibit at the Nagasaki Holland Village open-air museum in Japan. … Continue reading →

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7th Annual Boothbay Boat Builders Festival

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Rick Spilman

We hope everyone has a  great time at today’s 7th Annual Boothbay Boat Builders Festival.   All should keep a a weather eye out as there are rumors of an attack by the Pirates of the Dark Rose, followed by a … Continue reading →

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Expedition Sets Sail to the Great Plastic Vortex

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Rick Spilman

Last February we posted about a “junkraft” built by Dr. Marcus Eriksen and his team of 15,000 plastic bottles, 30 sailboat masts, an airplane fuselage which they sailed 2,600 miles from Los Angeles to Hawaii to make a point about the … Continue reading →

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Hurricane Ike and the Windfall for the Charles W. Morgan

Posted on August 2, 2009 by Rick Spilman

A windfall, a sudden and unexpected occurrence of good fortune, literally refers to fruit or timber knocked down by the wind. Here is an intriguing story of a literal windfall from the Maritime Texas blog.

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Towing the Intrepid – a McAllister Tug Film by Jon Kane

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Rick Spilman

A beautifully shot and edited short video. Jon Kane’s comments: I did this film for my friend Buck McAllister who’s family owns McAllister Towing tug boat company. I shot the film with one camera, in real time, during the towing … Continue reading →

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