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Monthly Archives: September 2011
Russian Nuclear Sub, Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets, Damaged in Collision with Fishing Vessel
What is interesting about this story is how it has been reported. Here is what we know: The fishing boat, Donets, ran into the Russian nuclear submarine, Svyatoy Georgiy Pobedonosets (St. George the Victor,) in the Avachino Bay on the … Continue reading
Happy Autumnal Equinox !!! Put on Warm Socks and Watch out for Falling Satellites
Happy autumnal equinox. The first day of Fall. I know of no good sailor’s tradition for the autumnal equinox. It seems to be too busy a time to stop for such foolishness. Everyone is trying to get the last trips … Continue reading
Of Painting Forth Bridge, Paddles and Creeks, Sand and Tides
I recently learned a new figure of speech – “like painting the Forth Bridge,” which refers to a job which is never completed. Or at least it used to mean that. The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge over … Continue reading
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is No More – A Navy Marriage and New Places to Recruit
The US military’s previous policy toward gay service members; “don’t ask, don’t tell; officially came to an end yesterday. Naval officer, Lt. Gary Ross, chose the day to marry his partner of eleven years, Dan Swezy, in Duxbury, Vt. In Tulsa, … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Don't Ask, Don't Tell, US Marines, US Navy
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Updates: Murderer on HMS Astute Sentenced, Kidnapped Briton in Somalia & MSC Luciana Refloated
Updates on three previous posts: On Monday, Able Seaman Ryan Donovan was sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to murdering a senior officer on board the HMS Astute last April. Submariner’s grudge turned proud day into tragedy British tourist Judith Tebbutt, … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Able Seaman Ryan Donovan, containership, David Tebbutt, Judith Tebbutt, Kenya, MSC Luciana, pirates, somalia
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The Wired Oceans – Cables Beneath the Deep Blue Sea
For something so relatively new, we take the internet very much for granted. The first graphical web browser is less than 20 years old. Nevertheless, the internet seems ubiquitous in most of our lives. But on a world that is over 70% ocean, how … Continue reading
The William Main Doerflinger Memorial Sea Shanty Session – September 18th, 2011
Fifteen years ago, a group of sea shanty enthusiasts got together for an old fashioned shanty sing. Their first meeting was, fittingly enough on the windjammer Peking at South Street Seaport. For many years they met monthly at the Seaman’s Church … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Songs
Tagged William Main Doerflinger Memorial Sea Shanty Sessions
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Jack Tar Magazine’s “The New Conrads” Storytelling Challenge
The folks at Jack Tar Magazine are sponsoring a writing contest, “The New Conrads” Storytelling Challenge, with some serious prize money attached. Whether you enter or not, it is an interesting exercise to consider what the world of shipping would look like in a … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged "The New Conrads" Storytelling Challenge, Jack Tar Magazine
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Linda Collison Interviews Alaric Bond
I have really enjoyed Linda Collison‘s two books in her Patricia MacPherson nautical adventure series. (See our reviews of Star-Crossed and Surgeon’s Mate.) She is also an excellent interviewer. Here she interviews another favorite nautical writer and frequent contributor to this blog, Alaric Bond. (See also Linda’s … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea, Seastories
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Your Father’s America’s Cup – Sailing the Stars and Stripes
Last Wednesday, we posted Not Your Father’s America’s Cup – Plymouth Capsize Club. This video is about “your father’s America’s Cup.” The yacht is Stars and Stripes/ US34, captained by Dennis Connor in the America’s Cup. The contrast between the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
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Container Ship MSC Luciana Aground on Sand Bank Southwest of Amsterdam
If you think that you are having a bad Monday morning, consider the plight of the master of the container ship MSC Luciana. The ship was bound from Antwerp to Felixstowe when it ran aground on a sand bar in the Westerschelde, … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
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Tom Grundner, Owner of Fireship Press
There aren’t many publishers with a special interest in nautical fiction. Tom Grundner, the owner of Fireship Press, who died suddenly on September 11th, was one. I never had the chance to meet him in person, but I genuinely liked the man I knew only through … Continue reading
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea – Tanker Mattheos I Hijacked, 23 Crew Taken Hostage
Earlier this week the 45,000 DWT tanker, Mattheos I, with a crew of 23, was hijacked off Benin in the Gulf of Guinea. According to the IMB Piracy Center, this year there have been 19 pirate attacks on ships in the Gulf of Guinea … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Benin, Gulf of Guinea, Mattheos I, pirates, tanker
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“I was kidnapped by Somali pirates”
Today is “International Talk Like A Pirate Day.” Many use it as an excuse to dress up in bad costumes and shout “Aaargh, Matie” and “Shiver me Timbers,” in some sort of odd homage to Johnny Depp and the Disney … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Disney pirate, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, somalia
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The Great Brigantine Race of 2011
Talk about match racing! This Sunday off Newport Beach, CA, two identical brigantines, the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson, will race. They will be manned by crews from rival local clubs, the Bahia Corinthian and Balboa Yacht clubs, under the supervision … Continue reading
