In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of whales off New York harbor. In 2011, researchers from Cornell recorded the sounds of fin whale, blue whale, humpback whale, minke whale, sei whale, and the North … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
In 2010, we posted about a shipwreck in the Baltic, off the Åland Islands of Sweden, in which 30 bottles of champagne and 5 bottles of beer were found intact in the wreckage. In 2011, two bottles of the champagne were … Continue reading
In January 1841, the Hillman Brothers shipyard on the Acushnet River in New Bedford, MA delivered a new whaleship, the Charles W. Morgan. Yesterday, the Charles W. Morgan, the only surviving wooden whaling ship, sailed back into New Bedford, where she was built more than 170 … Continue reading
Great video of climbing to the royal yard on the Charles W. Morgan. Atop the world on the Charles W. Morgan … Continue reading
What is the best way to celebrate sailing? My first response is to say, go sailing. Sailing, seems to me, to be its own celebration. There is that moment when everything falls into balance — when the force of the … Continue reading
I wish that I had been sent to a summer camp aboard a historic schooner when I was a kid. Growing up in Texas, I remember summer camps notable for scrub mesquite trees, cactus and snakes, only some of which were … Continue reading
I will admit that it was news to me that the Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge hosted by New York Outrigger is the largest outrigger regatta on the East Coast. Over 400 athletes from around the world are participating. According to … Continue reading
In the last decade, ten people off Western Australia have been attacked and killed by sharks. All of the deaths have been attributed to attacks by great white sharks. Earlier this year, the government of Australia set out on a trial … Continue reading
In 2006, President George W. Bush created three marine national monuments in the Pacific Ocean. Today, President Obama announced the dramatic expansion of these marine preserves to form the world’s largest marine sanctuary. Under the proposal, the Pacific Remote Island Marine … Continue reading
The days around the summer solstice will be a busy time on the Hudson River. We recently posted about the North River Historic Ship Festival on the Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 in Lower Manhattan from Friday, June 20 to Tuesday June 24. Roughly 50 … Continue reading
While it was long thought that only humans made and used tools, we now know that a variety of apes and monkeys are toolmakers. Elephants, crows, sea otters and octopus have also been observed making tools. Now, we can add dolphins … Continue reading
The Coast Guard has issued its final report on the sinking of HMS Bounty in October 2012. You can read the report here. In the report, there is one oblique reference to 1998 in which “the Seventh Coast Guard District … Continue reading
There is a story that has been floating around the web about a 19 year old Dutch engineering student, Boyan Slat, who, if you believe the claims, has figured out how to clean almost half of the Great Pacific garbage patch in … Continue reading
Yesterday, while maneuvering our 18′ catboat through the traffic in the Morris Canal on the West bank of the Hudson off Lower Manhattan, we had the pleasure of crossing paths with the schooner Lettie G. Howard. Lettie is an 1893 Fredonia-model fishing schooner owned and … Continue reading
A recent news story and video spins a fascinating mystery. Scientists in Australia tagged a healthy 9-foot great white shark. Four months later they found the tracking device washed up on a beach. The data in the the tracking device … Continue reading
The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval warship afloat. The wooden three masted “super-frigate” in launched in 1797, is due for a three year overhaul and dry-docking starting in early 2015. Before the historic ship enters the shipyard, she will leave the … Continue reading
A little over a week ago, we posted about a 90′ yacht, valued at around $10 million, which capsized and sank on her launching in Anacortes, Washington. Since then there has been no definitive determination as to what caused the … Continue reading
A few years ago we posted about a grand piano which rather mysteriously showed up on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay near Miami. A few days ago, a grand piano showed up on a sand beach beneath the Brooklyn Bridge … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about the Big Rubber Duck, which is scheduled to lead the Tall Ships Grand Parade of Sail at the Tall Ships Festival L.A., August 20, 2014. One commenter suggested that we needed more rubber ducks while another suggested … Continue reading
Last week, the brig Unicorn sank after apparently hitting a submerged object on her way from St. Lucia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for dry docking. The captain and nine crew escaped by boat and were rescued by the … Continue reading