In the last week or so, over 1,000 sea lions have hauled out on San Francisco’s Pier 39, K-Dock, the largest assembly of the boisterous pinnipeds in roughly 15 years. As noted on the Pier 39 website: A few California … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
I have been away for the better part of a month on a transatlantic sail from Barbados to Malta on a five-masted square rigger. (Click here for a short video of the ship under sail.) I had limited internet access … Continue reading
A short video of the Iowa-class battleship USS New Jersey on the blocks in drydock at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. As noted by the New York Times, no other U.S. battleship served in more military campaigns. Christened on the first … Continue reading
Over Labor Day weekend in 2019, a fire broke out in the early morning hours on the Conception, a 75-foot wood and fiberglass dive vessel in Santa Barbara Harbor, CA. All 33 passengers sleeping below decks and one of the … Continue reading
Yesterday, the Glandore Harbour Yacht Club in West Cork posted sad news on its Facebook page: It is great sadness that we learnt this morning of the passing of our dear friend Don Street. Don will be forever remembered for … Continue reading
Another short video of the Royal Clipper from her recent eastbound transatlantic crossing, sea day 13, two days out of Lisbon, that raises the question, when the wind is fluky, why not sail on light? Royal Clipper Sailing on Light … Continue reading
I have been away for the better part of a month on a transatlantic voyage on the Royal Clipper, one of only two five-masted full-rigged sailing ships ever built. Inspired by the windjammer Pruessen of 1902, the Royal Clipper sets … Continue reading
An updated repost. Melville’s masterpiece, Moby-Dick, was inspired, at least in part, by the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a sperm whale in 1820. The fate of the Essex unquestionably supplied Melville with ending to his novel. Nevertheless, the core … Continue reading
My short story Bloody Rain — Murder, Madness and the Monsoon, set on a sailing ship in the 1880s, is free as an ebook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. That’s right — free. Feel free to grab a copy. About … Continue reading
An updated repost. For thousands of years, sailors have told of nighttime seas that mysteriously glowed a milky white or luminescent blue, stretching out to the horizon. Referred to as a “milky sea,” the tales date back at least to … Continue reading
Something to take one’s mind off the unpleasantness of current events. A repost. Krill Joy From Slate:This video catches a rare glimpse of a gigantic, lunge-feeding blue whale deciding on what’s for lunch. A nonintrusive drone from Oregon State University … Continue reading
Remember King Harald “Blåtand” Gormsson? No? The king of Denmark and later Norway in the late 10th century. The name still doesn’t ring a bell? His rune mark is embedded in your phone and possibly your earbuds and speakers. His … Continue reading
One of the great things about writing historical fiction is discovering odd sets of facts, often buried in the archives, that capture both the desperation and the madness of a given time. Often, as the cliche goes, you just can’t … Continue reading
Tiny, beautiful, and dangerous blue dragon sea slugs are washing ashore on Texas beaches. The words “blue dragon” and “sea slug” do not seem to go together. The image of a dragon, of any color, and a slug just do … Continue reading
With the advent of climate change red tide outbreaks have grown more frequent. A red tide occurs when certain types of algae grow out of control. The name “red tide” comes from the fact that overgrowth of algae can cause … Continue reading
I like it, even if I am not sure I understand it. Here is the Strictly Scottish dance team dancing a ‘Battle of Trafalgar’ medley at the BC Highland Games of 2023. Thanks to Frank Hanavan for pointing it out. … Continue reading
Here is another old favorite, a companion repost to yesterday’s repost of “The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?” We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.” It recounted how three men named Hugh … Continue reading
I am traveling this week, so it seems like a good time to repost an old blog favorite, the remarkable story of the unsinkable Hugh Williams. There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence … Continue reading
We recently posted about the five-masted full-rigged cruise ship Royal Clipper, a modern sailing ship designed as an homage to the great five-masted windjammer Preussen. Here is a repost of a guest post by Robin Denny about the mighty windjammer: With the Peking now … Continue reading
My wife and I are currently sailing as passengers on the cruise ship Royal Clipper, the second of only two five-masted full-rigged steel ships ever built. The first such ship was the mighty windjammer, Preussen, of 1902. The Royal Clipper, launched … Continue reading