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December 6, 2021

Jim Flannery

The cutter Tamaroa battled atrocious conditions to save seven lives during the “No Name Storm” of 1991.
In-Depth Focus

Eight bells for the ‘perfect storm’ cutter

“They Forged the Last Links With Their Lives”: Sir John Franklin’s Men Dying by Their Boat During the North-West Passage Expedition, painted by W. Thomas Smith in 1895.
Technical

Finally found: The ships of a doomed arctic expedition

Pirates continue to target commercial vessels and cruising yachts off eastern Africa and in the Philippines despite counter-operations.
In-Depth Focus

Cruising couple abducted twice in eight years

Capt. Mike Davidson was concerned about conflicting weather reports as El Faro approached the eye of Hurricane Joaquin on Oct. 1, the day the ship sank.
People and Places

Data recorder reveals El Faro’s final hours

Bob (left) and Rod Johnstone this fall received the America and the Sea Award and were inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame.
People and Places

J/Boats founders honored for sailing achievements

Some say the north jetty at Government Cut is difficult to see at night.
People and Places

Death of MLB pitcher brings safety of jetty into question

The hurricane pushed this sailboat aground on the St. Johns River in Florida.
People and Places

More water than wind, but Matthew left its mark

The National Coast Guard Museum (shown here in a rendering) will be built on the Thames River in New London, Connecticut.
In-Depth Focus

A place to honor the men and women of the Coast Guard

Some believe using offshore sand to renourish beaches is akin to robbing Peter to pay Paul.
In-Depth Focus

Sand wars: raiding the sea to rebuild the beach

Around 128 ships were carrying $14.5 billion worth of cargo when Hanjin filed for bankruptcy protection.
People and Places

Bankruptcy leaves ships unable to unload

The algae bloom on the St. Lucie River clogged engine intakes on boats.
In-Depth Focus

Florida algae bloom leaves a rotting, rancid slime

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People and Places

Return to service ruled out for the SS United States

A scientist shows one of the deposits that miners want to extract.
In-Depth Focus

The next frontier: mining the sea floor

The research vessel Robert Gordon Sproul used 52,500 gallons of renewable biofuel over one year and ran as well, if not better, than ever.
People and Places

Is ‘renewable diesel’ an alternative to fossil fuel?

The goal is to keep the SS United States as close to original as possible, but there will be some design and mechanical alterations.
Profiles

Wildest dreams: A return for the SS United States?

In-Depth Focus

Man charged for false distress alert in ‘disappearing act’

The USS Conestoga was lost in 1921 on her way to American Samoa.
In-Depth Focus

Wreck discovery lays to rest a 95-year-old mystery

Daniel Sherer is shown with the oceanographic buoy in Moss Landing Harbor.
People and Places

Feds sue fishermen for taking buoy ‘hostage’

Ngoc Nguyen and his family were rescued by the Arnold Maersk when they fled Vietnam in 1981.
In-Depth Focus

A captain’s good deed fuels a dream

El Faro wreckage map.
People and Places

Voyage data recorder could hold clues to El Faro sinking

Javier Eduardo Olaya was found by the crew of the bulk carrier Nikkei Verde.
People and Places

Fisherman found alive after two months adrift

Sarah Young was swept overboard from IchorCoal on April 1. It is the second loss of life for this boat and this Clipper race.
People and Places

A tragic loss in the Clipper race

The disappearance of Niña, a former NYYC flagship, in the Tasman Sea led to a massive search-and-rescue operation that was abandoned after months of fruitless effort.
In-Depth Focus

Sea mysteries, Part II: The disappearances of Niña and Baychimo

Kevin Stipe and four friends were rescued after his father located them on the Pro Charts app.
People and Places

A life-saving app rewards its creator

The desiccated body of the skipper (below) was at the nav table of this boat when it was found adrift early this year.
In-Depth Focus

Mummies and madness: The sea has a way of keeping its mysteries

The venue for the Miami International Boat Show, on Virginia Key, cost some veteran show-goers time to get their bearings, but the consensus on the docks was the locale has great potential.
In-Depth Focus

Miami show gets good reviews

Hurricane Sandy in 2012 left hundreds of damaged and destroyed boats in its wake.
Materials

The fiberglass dilemma

No lives were lost when the 33 whalers, trapped in Arctic ice, were abandoned in 1871.
People and Places

Lost whaling fleet found at last

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris’ Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, 1718, depicts the defeat of the infamous British marauder.
In-Depth Focus

Plunder disputes plague the wreck of Blackbeard’s ship

The Safe 31 will carry radiological and other detection equipment.
People and Places

New Homeland Security boat to patrol Cape Cod and Islands

Perry Cohen and Austin Blu Stephanos were lost at sea during a fishing trip in July.
People and Places

Parents of lost boys push for EPIRB bill

This Andries van Eertvelt painting depicts the Santa Maria on the first of the voyages Columbus made to North America.
In-Depth Focus

Was Columbus a double agent?

El Faro was a 790-foot roll-on/roll-off, lift-on/lift-off cargo ship built in 1974 and updated in 1992 and 2006. Her maximum speed was 22 knots.
In-Depth Focus

Lost at sea: Will the questions around the sinking of El Faro ever be answered?

With travel restrictions easing, there has been a revival of racing and other boat travel to Cuba.
In-Depth Focus

The race to see Cuba aboard your own boat

Capt. Pamela Hepburn has done all she can to keep the tug Pegasus (here with the Waterfront Museum barge) on the water.
People and Places

Historic tug needs ‘youthful energy’

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People and Places

Big plans for Fort Lauderdale’s Bahia Mar

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People and Places

FLIBS: Bigger and better than ever

The Wave Glider comprises a floater with a solar panel tethered to a “wave engine” below that moves the vessel forward.
In-Depth Focus

Roboboats could be wave of the future

Aarrr Booty co-captain and treasure hunter Dale Zeak.
People and Places

Treasure hunting is a passionate family affair that has paid off

Archaeologists recover a bronze cannon from La Juliana, a merchant ship that was part of the Spanish Armada when it sank in 1588.
In-Depth Focus

Hidden treasures revealed in new wreck discoveries

When the barque Belem delivered 60,000 bottles of wine to Dublin in 2008, it was the first wine shipped out of France by sail since the late 1800s.
New Boats

Sail freight experiences a rebirth

The debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is lethal to marine life.
In-Depth Focus

It’s time to clean up our giant ocean messes … but how?

There were three crewmember deaths in less than two months aboard the Sage Sagittarius.
People and Places

‘Death Ship’ inquiry reveals bullying, intimidation and fear

Andrew Taylor, who fell overboard during the Clipper Round the World Race, has written a book titled 179W about his ordeal. 179w.co.uk
In-Depth Focus

Three words: Read the instructions

Conditions on Mobile Bay quickly deteriorated when the line of storms moved through.
In-Depth Focus

‘This storm did not just appear out of the blue’

In-Depth Focus

Notice to Mariners

The Coast Guard had to rescue Sedona's crew during a blizzard after the owner embarked despite being warned that his boat wasn't ready.
In-Depth Focus

Who should foot the bill for poor decisions?

The SS Central America is one of the richest wrecks in U.S. maritime history,
In-Depth Focus

From triumph to a vast fortune lost

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In-Depth Focus

Florida Anchoring update

The 17th anniversary of the loss of Morning Dew was observed with tributes by family members and the Coast Guard.
In-Depth Focus

Lessons learned from tragedy