Monthly Archives: December 2011

To Avoid Pirates, Volvo Ocean Fleet Traveling by Ship from Undisclosed Port

On the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, half the fleet traveled to Cape Town on the deck of cargo ships following rigging or hull failures. Now in the second leg of the race, the entire fleet was loaded … Continue reading

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The Perfect Wreck by Steven E. Maffeo – a review by Linda Collison

Linda Collison, author of Surgeon’s Mate and Star-Crossed, recently reviewed Steven E. Maffeo‘s new book The Perfect Wreck – Old Ironsides and HMS Java: A Story of 1812 in her blog Sea of Words.  I enjoy reading Linda’s reviews almost as much … Continue reading

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EDA-R : New French Navy Landing Craft

A few days ago we posted about the boats Washington used to cross the Delaware.  Designs have changed since then,  Here is a wonderful animation by Raphaël Pierrot of the new French Navy  landing craft, the engin de débarquement amphibie rapide … Continue reading

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Sea Shepherd’s New Speed Boat, Brigitte Bardot, Broken by the Southern Ocean

The reality TV stars, the Sea Shepherds, took their newest speed boat, the Brigitte Bardot, out on the Southern Ocean recently, which proved to be more than it could handle. The Brigitte Bardot reportedly cracked its main hull and severely damaged the port … Continue reading

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New Masts for the Schooner Virginia

In 2009, the non profit foundation that owns the schooner Virginia, the Virginia Maritime Heritage Foundation, ran out of cash. Burdened with $1.6 million of debt, they were forced to lay up the schooner. Now, the outlook for the schooner … Continue reading

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America’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Ships of 2011

Joe Follansbee at the Fyddeye Guides has compiled a list of America’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Ships of 2011 to help raise awareness of the risk that these historic treasures may not be around much longer if something isn’t done.  One might … Continue reading

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Update: Repairs Underway to Russian Fishing Vessel Sparta with Help from Korean Icebreaker Araon

The Russian fishing vessel Sparta, which was holed by ice below the waterline in the Ross Sea off Antarctica on December 16th and has been trapped in the ice for over ten days, is now undergoing temporary repairs.  On Monday, … Continue reading

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A Short Sea Voyage for the not yet Tall Ship, Oliver Hazard Perry

More progress in the completion of Rhode Island’s tall ship, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry. The not yet tall ship was recently launched at Sims Metal Management in Providence and towed to Senesco Marine in North Kingstown to continue construction, including … Continue reading

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The Long Strange Voyage of Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, Johnny Vasco da Gama

In 2008, a young Kemp’s ridley sea turtle washed up, stranded, in the Netherlands.  Kemp’s ridleys are the smallest and rarest of all sea turtles and are a critically endangered species.  The Kemp’s ridley turtles typically live in the warm waters of the Gulf … Continue reading

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Washington Crossing the Delaware and the Durham Boats

On Christmas Day in 1776, George Washington led what was left of his army across the Delaware River in the middle of a blizzard to attack a Hessian outpost in Trenton, NJ.  In one bold stroke, he turned almost certain … Continue reading

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Sparta Rescue in Ross Sea Delayed by Sister Ship

The plan was for the South Korean icebreaker Araon accompanied by the fishing vessel Chiyo Maru No 3 to break through the ice to reach the stricken Russian fishing vessel Sparta today on Christmas Day. The Sparta was holed below … Continue reading

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Scuba Santa Swimming with Sharks – A New Holiday Tradition?

Scuba Santa swimming with sharks may be a relatively new Christmas tradition but it is remarkably widespread. From the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky; to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston;  to … Continue reading

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The Lobsterman’s Christmas

Christmas Morning in the lobster capital of the world. The wonderful photography of Doug Mills of Shoot Maine Studios. THE LOBSTERMAN’S CHRISTMAS

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Santa in the Sand – World’s Largest Sand Sculpture Santa Claus

I love walking the beach in the wintertime, though I would be surprised to come across a 100 foot long Santa Claus. In 2008, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik and his team created a sand sculpture of Santa Claus at Puri beach … Continue reading

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