There’s a heated debate going on among yachtsmen in clubs and committees all over the world about how to recruit young people to the sport. “Get ‘em young” is one idea, and requires investments in dinghies, instructors, waterfront facilities, not to mention strong financial support from parents. In Astoria, at the mouth of the mighty… Continue reading The 5′ Miniboat Crosses the Pacific Ocean
Category: Marine Science and Education
Polar Research Schooner Tara Visits Astoria
It was back in July 2018 in the heart of the summer on the lower Columbia River when I spotted a big schooner-rigged sailing vessel at the East Mooring Basin in Astoria. From a distance, I could see it was at least 100 feet long, built of unpainted aluminum, and flying a foreign flag. That… Continue reading Polar Research Schooner Tara Visits Astoria
Harbo & Samuelson “Hitch-Rowed” the Atlantic
First Atlantic Row: Harbo and Samuelson in 1896 The bizarre and risky activity of “ocean drifting by rowboat” has its origin in 1896 when two Norwegian fishermen departed Manhattan in an attempt to row the North Atlantic. Their boat was a solid plank-on-frame 18-foot dory heavily-loaded with canned food and water. They landed on the… Continue reading Harbo & Samuelson “Hitch-Rowed” the Atlantic
A Sailor’s Guide to R.V. Atlantis and “Inner Space”
Last year I had the opportunity to tour the 274′ R.V. (research vessel) Atlantis and its famous submersible Alvin while it was docked in Astoria. Alvin is probably the best known craft of its type in the world, having appeared in numerous TV programs making ground-breaking discoveries—several of them off the Washington coast. Peering down… Continue reading A Sailor’s Guide to R.V. Atlantis and “Inner Space”