Was Shakespeare a Sailor?

Charles Spencer, writing for the Telegraph, had a hunch. After reviewing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s trilogy of Shakespeare’s “shipwreck” plays last month,  he  found himself wondering whether the Bard spent his so-called “lost years” before his arrival in London, as … 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

Do They Serve Canned Meat on the USCGC Harriet Lane?

I will admit to doing a double take when I saw the USCG press release announcing “Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane returns home after 9-week patrol.”   I wondered, who would name a ship the Harriet Lane?  For the record, the … Continue reading

“A Collision at Sea…” the Most Famous Thing Thucydides Never Said

Thucydides is often said to have first written, “A collision at sea can ruin your entire day, ”  in his epic history, The Peloponnesian War. While the statement is unquestionably true, Thucydides never wrote it.   Today the New York Times’ Fred Shapiro … Continue reading

The Holy Ground – Songs, Sailors, and Women of Easy Virtue

I am every fond of the Irish sea song “Holy Ground”.  The song is about a sailor bound for sea, leaving his lady love and hoping to return. “And still I live in hope to see the Holy Ground once more..” … Continue reading

Sailor Talk – “Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter” and “Sucking the Monkey”

One of my particular frustrations with the “Talk-Like a Pirate Day” folks is that even if one ignores the very nasty nature of pirates, historical and modern alike, a second and perhaps even great problem remains. The Talk-Like-a-Piraters do such … Continue reading