In December, 2008, we posted about “A Junk at Risk.” The Free China, a historic century-old Fujian sailing junk, was on the verge of being scrapped. The junk made international headlines in 1955 when an inexperienced crew of five Chinese fishermen and one American diplomat beat the odds to make a transpacific voyage from Taiwan to San Francisco. In our post we quoted Dione Chen, who was spearheading the effort to save the old 80-foot long fishing vessel. Her connection with the junk was personal. Her father had been one of the sailors on the momentous voyage across the Pacific.
Now 4 years later, Ms. Chen has found a way to save Free China. Later this month, the junk will travel back to Taiwan, but this time, Free China will travel on the deck of a container ship from the port of Oakland. Once back in Taiwan, the junk will be restored using a combination of Taiwanese government funds and private money and put on display at the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology. Thanks to Tom Russell of the Traditional Sail Professionals Linked-in Group for passing the news along.
Offshore energy, whether oil production or wind, seems to move in the same stages. Early offshore drilling was in shallow water using jack-up rigs sitting on the bottom. Now much of offshore oil production is from floating rigs, drilling in deep water. Likewise, the first offshore wind turbines were mounted on pedestals fixed to the sea floor. Wind technology may be moving into deeper water. In September of 2009, 
Earlier today we posted about an article by Andrew Gilligan, the 
After a long commercial career, the 1869 composite clipper ship 
The first headlines read, “
One of the pleasures of cruising with a family can be leaving children with the shipboard children’s program. On 
In February, Costa Lines invited ten companies to bid on salvaging the Costa Concordia (
This sounds like the teaser from a thriller or murder mystery. Unfortunately, it is all too real. Last Thursday, shortly after 7 AM, coworkers found the bodies of 
When US Coast Guard inspectors came aboard the bulk carrier 
After a difficult last few days, Matt Rutherford sailed into Chesapeake Bay this morning at 10:42 AM, completing the first ever solo circumnavigation of the Americas, a voyage of 309 days and over 25,000 miles. Matt’s plan is still to make his first landfall this Saturday the 21st of April at noon in Annapolis. All are invited to help welcome him home.
Bolivia is poised to de-flag fifteen ships linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) just weeks after these ships were flagged into the Bolivian registry. The ships had previously been registered in Malta and Cyprus.