Category Archives: Current
Don’t Be Shellfish – Save the Coney Island Mermaid Parade!
One unexpected victim of Superstorm Sandy was New York’s Coney Island Mermaid Parade, or more specifically, the historical museum, performance space and gift shop that helped to financially support the free parade. The parade is ”an American celebration of ancient mythology and honky-tonk rituals … Continue reading
Britain’s Atlanti? Scientists Mapping the Sunken Landscapes of One Atlantis or Another
What is the plural of Atlantis? Atlanti? Atlantises? Recently two different underwater areas have been in the news, both of which are referred to as ”Britain’s Atlantis.” One is called Doggerland, a huge undersea region swallowed by the sea … Continue reading
Gray Whale Sighted in South Atlantic, First Ever Observed Below the Equator
A gray whale has been sighted in Walvis Bay, Namibia. This is amazing news, as gray whales were hunted to extinction in the North Atlantic by the 18th century and have never been sighted before south of the equator. Gray whales … Continue reading
Navy Dolphins Find Rare 19th Century Howell Torpedo off California Coast
The Howell Automobile Torpedo of 1889 was the first self-propelled torpedo in United States Navy service. Only fifty were built and until recently, only one was known to have survived. Then in late April, Navy dolphins located a lost Howell … Continue reading
Fleet Week without the Fleet on the Historic Buoy Tender Lilac
For the last 30 years, New York has welcomed ships and crews from the US Navy and Coast Guard to the harbor around the Memorial Day weekend during a celebration of Fleet Week. Unfortunately, this year’s Fleet Week has been scuttled … Continue reading
Shaped on all Six Sides – A Look at Wooden Boatbuilding
The opening line of this seven minute video suggests that “men build [wooden] boats because they can’t have babies.” I am not sure that I buy into that idea. Then again, most boats and ships that I have built or worked on … Continue reading
Twice Forgotten: Story of the WWII Submarine R-12
An interesting Kickstarter fundraiser to complete the documentary “Twice Forgotten: Heroes of the R12 Submarine,” about the WWII submarine USS R-12, which sank off the coast of Key West, Florida on June 12, 1943 with the loss of 40 American sailors and 2 Brazilian officers. … Continue reading
Murder of a Tall Ship Sailor – Kyle Bruner, Chief Mate on Liberty Clipper, Gunned Down in Nassau, Bahamas
Sadly, the world is a dangerous place, both at sea and ashore. Over the weekend, Kyle Bruner, chief mate on the schooner Liberty Clipper was murdered in Nassau, Bahamas while attempting to stop a mugging. As reported by NBC Chicago: Kyle … Continue reading
Amorita’s Unlucky Day
The first time I saw Billy Black‘s photo of the collision, I had to look twice to believe what I was seeing. It show two white yachts, both under full sail, one slicing half-way through the other. The collision took … Continue reading
“Whisky Galore” Bottles fetch £12,050
Two bottles of whisky salvaged from the wreck of the cargo ship SS Politician have been sold for £12,050 after an online auction. The wreck inspired the novel “Whisky Galore” and the movie of the same name. Whisky Galore bottles … Continue reading
Mother’s Day on HMAS Toowoomba 2013
We hope that everyone is having a happy Mother’s Day. Here is a great little video by made by the sailors on the HMAS Toowoomba,a Royal Australian Navy frigate currently deployed in the Middle East. Mother’s Day on HMAS Toowoomba 2013
Charles W. Morgan Restoration
We posted yesterday about the “shutter plank” being fastened to the whaleship Charles W. Morgan in Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. The Morgan, built in 1841, is America’s last surviving wooden whaleship and has been undergoing a fiver year restoration. I came a across … Continue reading
Is the AC72 the Boat That Could Sink the America’s Cup?
Wired Magazine ran a weirdly prophetic article that appears to have been published almost immediately before the tragic death of British Olympian, Andrew Simpson, in the capsize of the Swedish Artemis Racing AC72 catamaran yesterday in San Francisco Bay. In the article, titled “The Boat That Could … Continue reading
The “Shutter Plank” Goes on the Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Today at Mystic Seaport, CT
Correction: The original post listed the wrong date for the anticipated launching of the Charles W. Morgan. The correct date is July 21, 2013. Congratulations to the Mystic Seaport Museum and all those working on the whaleship Charles W. Morgan. This afternoon at around 2PM, … Continue reading
British Olympian Dies in Artemis Racing AC72 Capsize Practicing for the America’s Cup
Andrew Simpson, a British double Olympic medalist and a sailor with the Swedish Artemis Racing team, has died in the capsize of an AC72 catamaran while practicing in San Francisco Bay for the upcoming America’s Cup races. One other sailor is reported to be seriously injured There were 11 … Continue reading
Container/Ro-Ro Ship Jolly Nero Topples Genoa Port Tower, At Least 7 Dead
The container/ro-ro ship Jolly Nero slammed into the port control tower in Genoa, Italy on Tuesday night around 11PM, destroying the 165 ft-tall cement tower and killing at least seven. Four people were reported to be injured and at least two are still missing. … Continue reading
Fly Fishing in NYC’s Central Park & the Hunt for the Snakehead “Monster” Fish
When I think of fly fishing, the wilder rivers of North Carolina come to mind, or even Hemingway’s Big Two Hearted River, in Michigan. I don’t think of Central Park, which is literally the center of New York City, a … Continue reading
Update: Chinese Vessel Did More Damage to Tubbataha Reef than USS Guardian
Despite being smaller than the USS Guardian and spending less time aground on the Tubbataha reef, the Chinese fishing vessel F/V Min Long Yu, which ran aground on the protected reef on April 8, apparently did more damage than the US Navy minesweeper. In addition … Continue reading
No, Ladies, Not Pirates of Penzance, These Were Real Pirates
The North Devon Women’s Institute branch recently hosted former sea captain Colin Darch, who was to speak on the topic of piracy. A number of women in the organization thought that the captain would speak about historical buccaneering, and so … Continue reading
