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Monthly Archives: September 2010
Sir Francis Chichester’s Gipsy Moth IV for Sale
Gipsy Moth IV, the yacht that Sir Francis Chichester singlehanded around the world is for sale for £250,000. Chichester was the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the three capes, the route taken by the clipper ships. He … Continue reading
Franklin Records Found as Search Resumes for Franklin’s Ships
An update to a previous post. An Inuit family says a box that was hidden for over 80 years in the Arctic contains documents linked to the doomed Franklin expedition and has just turned the box over to the the Canadian Conservation … Continue reading
Tight Race for Favorite Tug of 2010 – W.O. Decker in the Lead
The Waterford Tugboat Roundup 2010 starts tomorrow with a Parade of Tugs past the Albany, NY waterfront before all return to Waterford at the junction of the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers for a full weekend of competitions and entertainment. The Roundup Favorite Tug of 2010 competition … Continue reading
US Marines Recapture M/V Magellan Star from Somali Pirates
Twenty-four U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force stormed the German-owned containership M/V Magellan Star today, capturing the pirates that had seized control of the ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. No … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Gulf of Aden, M/V Magellan Star, M/V Miltiades, Olib G, pirates, somalia
1 Comment
34th Annual Wooden Boat Festival, Townsend WA
This sounds like a fantastic festival for anyone near Townsend, Washington. The 34th Annual Wooden Boat Festival, which starts tomorrow and runs through the weekend, features almost 300 wooden vessels on display ranging from small wherries to the 133′ classic schooner Adventuress. Ahoy for Wooden Boat Festival: Tents … Continue reading
The Pacific Sun and the Pacific Star: “Lessons Learnt and Heeded” – Or Maybe Not
The video of unsecured furniture flying about on the P&O cruise ship, Pacific Sun, is all over the internet. A Carnival spokesperson (Carnival owns P&O) is quoted as saying, “The incident was fully investigated and lessons learnt have been heeded, including the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged P&O cruise ship, Pacific Star, Pacific Sun
5 Comments
P&O Cruise Ship, Pacific Sun, in Heavy Seas – Alarming Video
Cruise ship operators would prefer that their passengers exist in a hermetically sealed bubble, where they can enjoy the sea without ever having to be exposed to it; where their passengers can look up occasionally from drinking, dining and spending money in the onboard … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged cruise ship, heavy seas, New Zealand, Pacific Sun
4 Comments
Orca Dies at San Diego SeaWorld – Sadly Typical
A twelve year old male orca whale, named Sumar by SeaWorld, died suddenly at their San Diego facility on Tuesday. Sadly its death was not untypical. Male orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 years. Many live … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Dawn Brancheau, orca whale, SeaWorld, Sumar, Tilicum
2 Comments
Lieutenant-Commander Tony Bentley-Buckle and Albert RN
Lieutenant-Commander Tony Bentley-Buckle, who died at the end of May at the age of 88, had a valiant and varied career in the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war, he established two shipping lines and an airline in Africa and competed … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Lieutenant-Commander Tony Bentley-Buckle
3 Comments
New York Harbor Weekend – Racing Tug Boats and Red Tide
It was a beautiful and busy weekend in New York harbor. On Sunday, I missed the 18th Annual Running of the Great North River Tugboat Race & Competition but Will over at the Tugster blog has some great photos. … Continue reading
Energy from Waves in Oregon and Maine
Two projects are underway in Maine and Oregon to produce energy from ocean waves. Ocean Renewable Power Company, in Maine, is using horizontal turbines to capture the energy of ebbing and flooding tides. Initial tests have met or exceeded their targets … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Maine, Ocean Power Technologies, Ocean Renewable Power Company, Oregon, PowerBuoys
1 Comment
The Search for the Bonhomme Richard
The Ocean Technology Foundation has been searching for John Paul Jones’ famous flagship, the Bonhomme Richard for the last five years. They now believe that they are closing in on the wreck. On this year’s expedition both the US and French Navies are joining … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Bonhomme Richard, John Paul Jones, Ocean Technology Foundation, USNS HENSON
4 Comments
Baltic Shipwreck with “World’s Oldest Champagne” and now the “World’s Oldest Beer”
In July, we posted about a Baltic shipwreck on which divers found 30 bottles of champagne thought to pre-date the French Revolution. (see Baltic Bubbly – ‘World’s oldest champagne’) On subsequent dives, smaller bottles have been recovered which apparently contain … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Åland, Baltic Shipwreck, World's Oldest Beer, World's Oldest Champagne
2 Comments
Top 5 Hurricane Vulnerable & Overdue Cities
Hurricane Earl, or rather tropical storm Earl, spun its way past New York, far enough out to sea so we had neither wind nor rain to mark his passing. Having missed this hurricane, here is an interesting article on Weather.com that lists the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Hurricane Earl, Hurricane Vulnerable & Overdue Cities
1 Comment
Newport, RI Labor Day Festivities Rearranged Slightly by Earl
After Earl, some R.I. weekend events adjust schedules To give participants in the Museum of Yachting’s 31st annual Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport time to get their boats back in the water in the wake of the storm, races scheduled … Continue reading
