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
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
Today, June 25th, is the IMO sponsored International Day of the Seafarer. This celebration is intended to increase the awareness of the indispensable services rendered to all of us by the 1.5 million seafarers who deliver more than 12 billion tonnes of … 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
If you are having a lousy Monday, here is a reminder that things could always be worse. Below is a video of $24 million yacht, 102′ long, M/V Polar Bear, which caught fire last Thursday in Chula Vista, near San Diego, … Continue reading
Yesterday, a group of admirers gathered in Bow, England to celebrate the life and work of Cecily Fox Smith. She was a Victorian poet best remembered for her poems about ships and sailors in the last days of the age of … 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
Last month we posted that the Sailing School Vessel Spirit of South Carolina was finally going to auction. For the last several years, the schooner been owned by TD Bank. Yesterday, the 140′ wooden schooner was sold at auction for $440,000 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
Two wonderful videos by Mystic Seaport Museum of the whaler Charles W. Morgan under sail, preparing for her 38th voyage. Charles W. Morgan 360 degrees … 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
The Atlantic Monthly has a wonderful feature this month — World War I in Photos: The War at Sea by Alan Taylor. Moving troops and supplies by sea was vital to all armies involved in the war. The battle for … Continue reading
The North River Historic Ship Festival is returning for the sixth year to Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 in Lower Manhattan from Friday, June 20 to Tuesday June 24. The festival will offer 500 free boat rides aboard historic vessels, hands-on tours of … Continue reading
The historic lighthouse tender Lilac is celebrating the Summer season with a exhibition of Jonathan Atkin’s Hero Project. Hero Project is a selection from Jonathan’s on-going work-in-progress collaboration with dance artists aboard historic ships. His mission is to increase visibility of our maritime … 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, the Charles W. Morgan set sail for the first time in almost a century. The whaling ship built in 1841 has been extensively rebuilt at Mystic Seaport Museum and successfully completed its first day of sea trials in Long Island … Continue reading