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Monthly Archives: October 2011
Sailrocket vs. Hydroptère
We have posted previously about the world’s fasted sailboat, the hydrofoil trimaran, Hydroptère, which in November 2009, sailed for one nautical mile at speed of 50.17 knots in Hyères, France. He also has achieved a sustained speed of 52.86 knots … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged hydrofoil trimaran, Hydroptère, Vestas Sailrocket
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Archaeologists Discover Roman Port in Wales
I was surprised to read that archaeologists had recently discovered only the second Roman port in Britain. Prior to the discovery in excavations near the Roman fortress of Caerleon, just north of Newport, south Wales, the only other Roman port known to have … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Caerleon, Roman fortress, Roman port, Wales
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Happy Trafalgar Day and the Anniversary of the Launching of “Old Ironsides”
Thanks to Maritime Great Britain for reminding us that today is indeed Trafalgar Day, commemorating Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish fleets and his tragic death at the Battle of Trafalgar on this day in 1805. They also reminded us that on this day in … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson, Trafalgar Day, USS Constitution
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An Ocean Full of Comets?
Where did our oceans come from? Why is over 70% the earth’s surface covered by water? The answer may be in the dirty celestial snow balls we call comets. Scientists believe that the earth was originally dry and hot. Comets … Continue reading
Rum & Revolution Cruise on the Schooner Fame of Salem
Some traditions should be honored. I would certainly include rum drinking in that list. Tomorrow the Schooner Fame of Salem, Massachusetts is hosting a Rum and Revolution Cruise, departing from Pickering Wharf Marina, in Salem at 4:00 PM. After all, “rum and sailors … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea
Tagged Massachusetts, Pickering Wharf Marina, Rum and Revolution Cruise, Salem, Schooner Fame
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Amazing Video – Kayaking and Swimming with Blue Whales
I have kayaked with killer whales. It was many years ago and the memories are still vivid. I can only imagine how awe inspiring it must be to kayak next to a blue whale, the largest creature ever to live on the … Continue reading
1,000 Year Old Viking Boat Burial Site Found in Scotland
Archaeologists from the University of Manchester have excavated the first known Viking ship burial on mainland Britain, believed to be roughly a 1,0000 years old. The boat burial site was found near Ockle on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, Scotland. Archaeologist Dr Hannah Cobb said the “artefacts and preservation make … Continue reading
Sable Island, Graveyard of the Atlantic and Home to Wild Horses, Becomes Canada’s Newest National Park
This week Sable Island became the Canada’s newest national park. Almost three hundred kilometers out into the Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia, it is a scimitar shaped sandbar which seems to have no business being there at all. … Continue reading
Schooner Sultana Downrigging Weekend & Tall Ship and Wooden Boat Festival 2011
Usually downrigging a schooner involves lots of coiling, carrying, hauling, the breaking down of shackles and turnbuckles, and depending on the rig, attempting to free up the top mast so that it can be lowered gently to the deck, rather than dropping it like an unguided … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Downrigging Weekend, Schooner Sultana, Tall Ship and Wooden Boat Festival
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Western Africa’s Graveyards of Ships
Recently the BBC published an article, Nigeria’s coast ‘threatened by shipwrecks’, focused on the 100 rusty shipwrecks which line Nigeria’s 853km (530-mile) coast. The ships are causing coastal erosion and pollution. Nigeria is not the only country on the West coast of Africa with “graveyard of … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Bay of Nouadhibou, Graveyards of Ships, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Skeleton Coast National Park, Western Africa
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The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race 2011
Last Friday, 39 schooners set off from Baltimore, Maryland sailing 127 miles down the Chesapeake to Portsmouth, Virginia in the 22nd Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. This year the first schooner to cross Thimble Shoal with an elapsed time … Continue reading
Message in a Bottle Helped Rescue Crew of MV Montecristo
The current recommended response on a merchant ship on being boarded by pirates is to radio a distress call, disable the ship’s engines and to retreat into a “citadel,” a safe locked-down space aboard the ship and await either rescue or until … Continue reading
Tanker Markets – Back to the 80′s ?
Those of us of a certain age, who were active in merchant shipping, remember the tanker industry in the 1980s. And none too fondly. After a period of rising charter rates and robust new construction, the market effectively collapsed … Continue reading
Fighting Pirates with USVs ?
In August, we posted about an experimental unmanned “roboship” being developed as a coastal patrol craft. Recently there have been proposals to use USVs (unmanned surface vehicles) to fight pirates. USVs also known as autonomous surface vehicles (ASV), are any surface … Continue reading
Clipper City of Adelaide at Risk as Aussie Government Backs Out On Funding
The future of the oldest, just barely surviving, composite clipper ship in the world, the City of Adelaide, is again in question. Shortly before it was due to be scrapped in Scotland last August, an agreement was reached to send … Continue reading
