Like most of the historic vessels in and around New York harbor, the tanker Mary A. Whalen survived Superstorm Sandy Sandy better than her shore based neighbors. The tanker, which weathered Sandy at the inshore end of Pier 9B in … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
Last Wednesday, we posted about the wreck of a wooden ship uncovered by Superstorm Sandy beneath the dunes of Fire Island, east of Davis Park. The remains are thought to be the Bessie A. White, more than 90 years old, said Paula Valentine, public affairs specialist for … Continue reading
After only a week into the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race, four of the twenty original sailors have dropped out due to casualties or gear failure. The latest include Louis Burton, who was in a collision with a fishing boat off Portugal, and Samantha Davies whose boat suffered … Continue reading
Update 2: Current reports say that eleven were injured, four critically. Two workers are still missing. An oil and gas rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 nautical miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., was hit by an explosion … Continue reading
The New York Marathon was cancelled after Superstorm Sandy swept through New York two weeks ago. The New York Moby Dick Marathon is on, however. What is a Moby Dick Marathon, you might ask? It is ” the first-ever marathon-style reading … Continue reading
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 platform workers and resulting in the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. Today BP, the … Continue reading
When we posted yesterday about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island being closed by superstorm Sandy, Liam Hegarty pointed out in a comment that the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is also closed until December due to storm damage. … Continue reading
When Superstorm Sandy came ashore roughly two weeks ago, she uncovered at least two shipwrecks. On Fire Island, New York, the storm washed away dunes east of Davis Park revealing the remains of a wooden ship believed to be a post-Civil War cargo … Continue reading
A collision with a fishing boat has taken Kito de Pavant, sailing for Groupe Bel, out of the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race, two days into the race and only a day after Marc Guillemot was forced to drop out a keel failure on … Continue reading
In early October, we posted about the Argentine Navy training ship Libertad, a 300′ three masted full rigged ship, that had been seized in the port of Tema, Ghana as a result of a court order obtained by NML Capital Ltd., a … Continue reading
Marc Guillemot, sailing Safran, was a favorite to win the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race, yet only one day into the race, he was forced to turn back due to a broken keel. Fifty miles into the race, he reported hearing a “loud bang.” Guillemot’s Open … Continue reading
So you want to learn to sail a square-rigger? Here is one of the best visual explanations of the basics that I have come across, courtesy of the full-rigged ship Sørlandet. Part 1 looks at the sails & rigging. How to sail a … Continue reading
Her French competitors refer to her as La Petite Anglaise. Tomorrow, when the twenty boats in Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, Samantha Davies will be the only woman in the race. When she sails tomorrow, she will be waving goodbye … Continue reading
The United States Coast Guard Notice to Mariners reads simply – Old Orchard Shoals Light STRUCT DEST. The Old Orchard Shoals Light was built in 1893 in New York’s outer harbor off Staten Island near Great Kills Beach. The 51-foot tall cast … Continue reading
Mitik is the name given to a 234-pound 15-week-old orphaned walrus rescued from the open ocean off Alaska in early October. The walrus calf was transported aboard a FedEx cargo jet, accompanied by a veterinarian and a handler, and delivered to … Continue reading
Spade-toothed beaked whales (Mesoplodon traversii) are so rare that they had never been seen alive. Until recently, the only evidence of their existence were portions of three skulls found in 1872 and in the 1950s in New Zealand and in 1986 … Continue reading
The crew of the HMS Bounty was interviewed on ABC’s Good Morning America this morning. Note: the video of the ship sailing in high seas was shot when the Bounty sailed from Maine to Puerto Rico in 2010. Unfortunately your browser does … Continue reading
Robin Beth Schaer an American poet and sailor who served as a deckhand aboard the HMS Bounty has a written, Falling Overboard, a beautifully evocative essay which she describes as “My love letter and my farewell for my ship Bounty and her captain, lost in the … Continue reading
There are no real super-heroes, but as far am I am concerned the closest human beings that come to that designation are the search and rescue teams of the United States Coast Guard. From the rescue swimmers, who dive into … Continue reading
In response to our post, Bon Voyage to the Barque Picton Castle – Bound for the South Pacific, Diego commented, “Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast,” which is the first line of the chorus of the old sailor’s song, Farewell … Continue reading