Will Van Dorp, Tugster Photo: Brian Luster
One of my favorite blogs is Will van Dorp’s Tugster : a water blog – part shipspotting, part anthropology and part wry commentary on life and the universe, Will and his omnipresent camera do a great job covering New York’s “six borough.” Those who know New York might note that there are only five boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. The Tugster blog covers the sixth – the great harbor and the network of waterways that separate and also bind together the great city of New York. Yesterday, the New York Times took note of Will’s work on Tugster:
Yesterday, Japan announced that due to concerns for safety they had suspended their whale hunt, as of February 10th. The Sea Shepherds claim that the Japanese are bluffing. Perhaps Watson and his band of bumbling vigilante pirates are concerned over their “reality” TV show “
Last week 
The tank barge Waldhof which capsized a month ago in the Rhine River near Lorelei Rock was finally raised today after its cargo of sulfuric acid was allowed to slowly drain off. Two sailors where lost in the capsize. One of the bodies was found inside the barge cabin. The second sailor remains missing and is presumed drowned. The barge has now been towed to a safe harbor close by. The capsized barge has severely restricted commercial travel on the Rhine River, Europe’s busiest inland water way.
Happy Valentines Day! Yesterday, the 
One of the wonderful and maddening things about the internet is that we all make so many virtual acquaintances; many who become good friends, and yet who we have met only through the ether of web pages and email. It was, therefore, a real pleasure last Friday evening to sit down, in the flesh, and share a drink or two or – well perhaps, it is best not to specify the specific numbers of drinks – with a group of water bloggers from in and around New York. In no particular order, there was Will van Dorp of the 
In response to our post, 
Record crowds, possibly exceeding 100,000, are expected at the 
Rear Admiral Peter Branson, who died recently at age 86, had an illustrious career in the Royal Navy. His career almost ended before it began. Branson was twice torpedoed while he was still under training, on one occasion surviving five days adrift in a lifeboat off the coast of Africa.