The Pacific Sun and the Pacific Star: “Lessons Learnt and Heeded” – Or Maybe Not
September 8, 2010
The video of unsecured furniture flying about on the P&O cruise ship, Pacific Sun, is all over the internet. A Carnival spokesperson (Carnival owns P&O) is quoted as saying, “The incident was fully investigated and lessons learnt have been heeded, including the securing of tables and other furnishings aboard.” As Captain D. Peter Boucher commented on [...]
Read MoreP&O Cruise Ship, Pacific Sun, in Heavy Seas – Alarming Video
September 8, 2010
Cruise ship operators would prefer that their passengers exist in a hermetically sealed bubble, where they can enjoy the sea without ever having to be exposed to it; where their passengers can look up occasionally from drinking, dining and spending money in the onboard shops or at the casino to be reminded that the sea is still out there. [...]
Read MoreOrca Dies at San Diego SeaWorld – Sadly Typical
September 8, 2010
A twelve year old male orca whale, named Sumar by SeaWorld, died suddenly at their San Diego facility on Tuesday. Sadly its death was not untypical. Male orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 years. Many live into their 50s and 60s. Female orcas have an average life expectancy of 50 years though [...]
Read MoreLieutenant-Commander Tony Bentley-Buckle and Albert RN
September 7, 2010
Lieutenant-Commander Tony Bentley-Buckle, who died at the end of May at the age of 88, had a valiant and varied career in the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war, he established two shipping lines and an airline in Africa and competed in the Olympics for Kenya. Despite this impressive career, he may be best remembered for his time spent [...]
Read MoreNew York Harbor Weekend – Racing Tug Boats and Red Tide
September 7, 2010
It was a beautiful and busy weekend in New York harbor. On Sunday, I missed the 18th Annual Running of the Great North River Tugboat Race & Competition but Will over at the Tugster blog has some great photos. For the real tug fans, the big, annual Waterford Tugboat Roundup starts this Thursday, September 9th and [...]
Read MoreEnergy from Waves in Oregon and Maine
September 6, 2010
Two projects are underway in Maine and Oregon to produce energy from ocean waves. Ocean Renewable Power Company, in Maine, is using horizontal turbines to capture the energy of ebbing and flooding tides. Initial tests have met or exceeded their targets and the company hopes to install a commercial version of the the test turbines now in [...]
Read MoreBaltic Shipwreck with “World’s Oldest Champagne” and now the “World’s Oldest Beer”
September 5, 2010
In July, we posted about a Baltic shipwreck on which divers found 30 bottles of champagne thought to pre-date the French Revolution. (see Baltic Bubbly – ‘World’s oldest champagne’) On subsequent dives, smaller bottles have been recovered which apparently contain beer. Let’s hope they keep exploring. Who knows what they may find next. Åland salvage the world’s [...]
Read MoreTop 5 Hurricane Vulnerable & Overdue Cities
September 4, 2010
Hurricane Earl, or rather tropical storm Earl, spun its way past New York, far enough out to sea so we had neither wind nor rain to mark his passing. Having missed this hurricane, here is an interesting article on Weather.com that lists the top five most vulnerable and overdue cities for a very significant hurricane impact. They [...]
Read MoreNewport, RI Labor Day Festivities Rearranged Slightly by Earl
September 4, 2010
After Earl, some R.I. weekend events adjust schedules To give participants in the Museum of Yachting’s 31st annual Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport time to get their boats back in the water in the wake of the storm, races scheduled for Saturday afternoon have been canceled. Event organizer Christina Marfuggi said everything else will go [...]
Read MoreEarl Delays Opening of Camden Festival; Some Events Cancelled at Gloucester
September 3, 2010
Hurricane Earl appears not to be likely to make landfall on the US East Coast but the expected winds and seas have rearranged some schedules. The Camden Windjammer Festival originally scheduled to start today has been postponed to 4PM on Saturday. The Gloucester Schooner Festival has cancelled several outdoor activities but otherwise is on course, for now.
Read MoreHappy Merchant Navy Day!
September 3, 2010
Happy Merchant Navy Day! In Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand today, September 3rd, is celebrated as Merchant Navy Day – an official day of remembrance of the sacrifices made by merchant mariners in war-time. In World War I and World War II, over 45, 000 British merchant mariners lost their lives. The observance began in Great Britain in 2000, in Canada [...]
Read MoreFish & Ships Seafood Festival at Mystic Seaport this Weekend
September 3, 2010
Assuming that Hurricane Earl doesn’t interfere, the 3rd annual Fish & Ships Labor Day Weekend Seafood Festival will be held at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut this Saturday through Monday. Fish & Ships Seafood Festival back at Mystic Seaport
Read More33rd Annual Victoria Classic Boat Festival
September 3, 2010
The inner harbor of beautiful Victoria, Canada on Vancouver Island will be filled with between 75 to 100 classic boats beginning today and running through the Sunday at the 33rd Annual Victoria Classic Boat Festival. Harbour plays host to classic boat fest Maritime heritage will sail into the Inner Harbour at this year’s Victoria Classic Boat Festival. Historical [...]
Read MoreMariner Energy Oil Platform Explodes in the Gulf of Mexico
September 2, 2010
An oil platform operated by Mariner Energy exploded today near Vermilion Bay in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. One worker was reported injured. No one was killed and no significant oil spill resulted. Mariner Energy has been involved at least 13 offshore accidents since 2006 in Gulf of Mexico waters — including a blowout and four [...]
Read MoreFestival Sails into San Diego Bay Today
September 2, 2010
The 2010 Port of San Diego Festival of Sail kicks off today with a parade of tall ships on San Diego Bay at 11 a.m. The festival runs runs through September 6th and features more than 20 tall ships and other vessels from around the world, including the Californian, a replica of the original [...]
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