I read Dr. Jeffrey Bolster‘s book, Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail, not long after it came out a few years ago. It is a fascinating study of the largely untold story of African-American sailors in … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
For anyone with an interest in shipwrecks, here is a very interesting free online course that marine archaeologist John Broadwater pointed out on Facebook. It has just started but there is still time to sign up. ABOUT THE COURSE People have … Continue reading
Somewhere in the vast North Pacific Ocean, there is a singular whale singing a unique song, which was first recorded in 1989. For close to thirty years, researchers monitoring anti-submarine hydrophone arrays have heard a whale call which is much higher than the calls … Continue reading
You may not necessarily know his name, but if you have been reading yachting magazines over the years, his cartoons probably brought a smile to your face. British cartoonist Mike Peyton, who died on January 25th at the age of … Continue reading
In February 2014, the City of Adelaide, the world’s oldest surviving composite clipper ship, returned to her namesake city. Now almost three years later, she still have not quite found a home. The ship is sitting on a deck barge … Continue reading
Taiwan is now operating the two oldest submarines in service in the world, the 72 year old SS-791 Hai Shih, ex-USS Cutlass, and the 71 year old SS-792 Hai Pao, ex USS Tusk. The Taiwanese government has announced that the Hai … Continue reading
Over the weekend, winter storm Kori sent record high waves smashing into the California coast. The National Weather Service said a new wave record was set as the Monterey Bay buoy recorded 34-foot waves. At Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, … Continue reading
We understand that writer Douglas Reeman has died at this home in Cobham, Surrey, at the age of 92. Reeman, perhaps best know for the novels written under the pen-name Alexander Kent, wrote close to 60 books and has left an indelible … Continue reading
A UK member of parliament from Glasgow, Scotland has joined in the effort to save the endangered historic sailing ship Falls of Clyde. MP Alison Thewliss has written to David Ige, Governor of Hawaii, in support of returning the ship to the … Continue reading
Last June, the Royal Navy submarine HMS Vengeance test fired a dummy Trident II D5 nuclear ballistic missile while cruising in the Atlantic off the coast of Florida. The missile was supposed to fly 5,600 miles (9,012 km) to a target at sea off … Continue reading
This video brings back memories of fishing in an open boat in the Gulf off John’s Pass, FL when I was in high school, back in another century. I remember when a friend landed a fairly small 3-4′ shark and … Continue reading
The latest observations from the US National Snow & Ice Data Center in Boulder, say that the extent of global sea is now as low as it has been since satellite monitoring began in the 1970s. It is also likely that it … Continue reading
French sailor, Armel Le Cléac’h, 39, won the 8th Vendée Globe singlehanded round the world race today at 15:37:46 UTC after 74 days 3 hours 35 minutes and 46 seconds at sea on his 60ft racing yacht Banque Populaire VIII. He … Continue reading
Swiss sailor, Alan Roura, 23, is the youngest competitor in the Vendee Globe single-handed ’round the world race. American, Rich Wilson, 66, is the oldest. Both recently rounded Cape Horn, with Roura roughly 12 hours ahead of Wilson. The two sailors … Continue reading
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a quote: We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now. Martin Luther King, Jr. … Continue reading
A video for a cold winter day. We recently posted about the exciting voyage plans for 2017 on the School Sailing Vessel (SSV) Oliver Hazard Perry. This year, the ship will be sailing to Florida, Bermuda, Cuba and the Arctic. … Continue reading
In December of 1893, Captain Carl Anton Larsen, the master of the Norwegian whaling ship Jason, sailed along a vast Antarctic ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Now, just over 120 … Continue reading
It was announced this week that the Indian Point nuclear power facility will close by 2021. The Indian River plant is about 25 miles north of New York City. It sits on, not one, but two geological fault lines. A core breach … Continue reading
After a successful first season sailing New England waters, SSV Oliver Hazard Perry has an exciting 2017 ahead. Toward the end of January, the sailing school ship will depart Newport, RI bound for Bermuda, then to Florida where the ship will be … Continue reading
Next Saturday, January 14th, the Mystic Seaport Museum, in Mystic, CT, is hosting its annual Chantey Blast and Pub Sing from 1-5 PM at Frohsinn Hall, 54 Greenmanville Ave., directly across the street from the museum. Everyone is invited to join in … Continue reading