Only slightly nautical but a lot of fun, nevertheless. Giant Octopus Kite … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Last October, we took a five day cruise on the Amazon from Iquitos, Peru. It was a fascinating trip. Iquitos is 2,000 nautical miles up the Amazon and yet is a deep water port with a controlling draft of around … Continue reading
Last week, we posted about the upcoming scuttling of the Luck Lady, ex-Newtown Creek, later this month as an artificial reef off Pompano Beach, FL. Recently, about fifty miles to the north of Pompano, the cargo ship Ana Cecilia was sunk about 1.25 … Continue reading
In June, we posted about the upcoming unveiling of a headstone for the brilliant, but largely forgotten, American naval architect John Willis Griffiths. This Saturday, July 23rd, the National Maritime Historical Society will unveil the headstone at Griffiths’ previously unmarked … Continue reading
I am currently in the Northern Neck of of Virginia, where I will soon sit down with a boatyard to hear the latest estimated launch date for my Albin Nimbus 42, Arcturus. As I left the boat with the yard … Continue reading
An area off the Fourni archepelago, a group of 13 islands between the islands of Samos and Icaria in Greece, is known as a graveyard of ships. In June, underwater archaeologists discovered 23 ship wrecks during a survey period of … Continue reading
In 2012, we posted about how U.S Navy low frequency sonar training and testing could kill or deafen thousands of whales and dolphins. Environmental groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council, filed a lawsuit in San Francisco arguing that actions violated … Continue reading
The first time I visited Mystic Seaport Museum was around 1974 when, as a student of naval architecture with a summer job in New York City, I took the train out to Mystic, CT. It was like no museum I … Continue reading
Bay City Michigan kicked off its sixth Tall Ship Celebration yesterday, featuring a diverse mix of historic ships and replicas, including the U.S. Brig Niagara; the replica galleon El Galeon Andalucia; the replica Viking longship Draken Harald Hårfagre; the brigantines Pathfinder and Playfair; and the … Continue reading
Last Saturday, a North Korean submarine fired a ballistic missile while submerged off the country’s eastern coast. The missile was successfully ejected from the submarine but the missile was believed to have failed in its initial flight stage. This was the … Continue reading
For those concerned by China’s aggressive expansion into the South China Sea, there is some very good news and some not so good news. The very good news is that an international tribunal in The Hague has overwhelmingly rejected Chinese claims … Continue reading
Despite being burdened with unmanageable pilotage fees, the Norwegian Viking longboat, Draken Harald Hårfagre, and her crew have decided to sail on to the Tall Ships Celebration in Bay City, MI, on July 14 -17th. From their press release: There is not room … Continue reading
The Norwegian Viking ship Draken Harald Hårfagre has successfully weathered the seas of the Atlantic Ocean only to be turned back by exorbitant pilotage fees in the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence Seaway. Unless changes are made, pilotage fees … Continue reading
In April we posted, Farewell to Newtown Creek, New York’s Lovely “Honey Tanker”. It was a fond farewell to a lovely coastal “honey tanker” that carried sewage sludge around New York harbor for decades. When she was sold we did not … Continue reading
The New York Times recently featured an article, “Proud to Live in a Town Called Dildo” about a Newfoundland fishing village with an odd name. The name was first applied to nearby Dildo Island and apparently dates to at least … Continue reading
A beautiful video of sailing aboard the Windjammer Angelique. The 95′ ketch-rigged Angelique was built specifically for the windjamming trade in 1980 and sails from Camden, Maine. Sailing Windjammer Angelique … Continue reading
In May 2104, we posted “Sailing in Sewage — Olympic Sailors in Guanabara Bay at Rio de Janeiro.” The post was about the challenge of sailing the Olympic trials in Guanabara Bay, a body of water thoroughly befouled with garbage and … Continue reading
The latest and greatest ark fantasy exhibit is opening in northern Kentucky. The new “Ark Encounter” bills itself as “one-of-a-kind, historically themed attraction. In an entertaining, educational, and immersive way, it presents a number of historical events centered on Noah’s Ark … Continue reading
I am not entirely sure that I get the joke. In a year when sperm whales have been washing up dead on shores around the world; dying after ingesting plastic, fishing nets and auto parts; the arrival of a beached … Continue reading
A massive blue-green algae bloom has hit Florida’s “Treasure Coast,” coating the beaches and inlets with a foul-smelling, sticky green-goo that some resident describe as “guacamole thick.” A state of emergency has been declared the Lee, Palm Beach, Martin and … Continue reading