Category: Opinion

Drake in Oregon? The Mystery Continues……

 Hardly a year goes by without a reconstruction of a historic sailing ship visiting the Columbia River. The Lady Washington is a frequent visitor, but I can also recall going on board Captain Cook’s Endeavour, and even meeting Captain Bligh on HMS Bounty–they all explored the pacific Ocean in the 1700s. Each ship was rigged… Continue reading Drake in Oregon? The Mystery Continues……

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

The Flettner Rotor Makes a Comeback!

The new hybrid ship designs were pioneered in Scandinavia where ecological hydro-power has long been the standard for utilities. The public demand for more clean power use has led to the introduction of hybrid propulsion in several new ferries and short-haul cargo vessels. So I expected this to be the “gold standard” for green shipping… Continue reading The Flettner Rotor Makes a Comeback!

2016: 25 Years Since Gerard d’Aboville’s Trans-Pacific Row

How Astoria Made the National News–in France! It was 25 years ago at the end of November 1991 that a French adventurer arrived off the Columbia River after an incredible voyage from Japan. He was 46-year old Gerard d’Aboville and he had achieved one of the rapidly diminishing number of “firsts” left to claim in… Continue reading 2016: 25 Years Since Gerard d’Aboville’s Trans-Pacific Row

Is the Columbia Bar the Graveyard of the Pacific?

Whether you visit the mouth of the Columbia by boat or live here as I do, you can’t avoid the constant reminder that the Columbia Bar is the “Graveyard of the Pacific–the most treacherous stretch of water in the world,” or words to that effect. Exactly who decided this (or that a river is capable… Continue reading Is the Columbia Bar the Graveyard of the Pacific?

Is Ocean Rowing an Exercise in Futility?

There is no doubt in my mind that crossing an ocean alone in a small boat with only oars for propulsion (without sails) is one of the hardest voluntary sporting task anyone can undertake. (I assume that is why this has become my most-read blog. I first wrote it in the early 2000’s, but only… Continue reading Is Ocean Rowing an Exercise in Futility?

2014 – Mini Yachts Promise Maxi Speed…..and Risk!

Huge Beam, Giant Rigs, Maxi Sprits Early in October, 2013 I took the train from London to Portsmouth, ferry to St Malo,  and cycled across Brittany via back roads and canal towpaths to see the solo Mini Transat race start in Douarnenez, near the north-western tip of France.  Another big fleet  of 84 MINI 6.5 meter (21′… Continue reading 2014 – Mini Yachts Promise Maxi Speed…..and Risk!

2007 – Film “Deep Water” Reveals Tragedy of Donald Crowhurst

Documentary of  Crowhurst’s “Voyage to Oblivion” – copyright Peter J. Marsh Boating has certainly changed since the 1960s; this was brought home to me when I watched “Deep Water,” an award-winning documentary that arrived in the northwest at the end of summer. Its subject was the 1968-69 Golden Globe race in which a motley crew… Continue reading 2007 – Film “Deep Water” Reveals Tragedy of Donald Crowhurst

2012 – “Graveyard of the Pacific” Good for Tourism? by P.Marsh

 The end of November, 2014 brought the first big storm of winter, the first bar closure–and the annual “Graveyard of the Pacific Shipwreck Weekend” at Cape Disappointment. The weekend is billed as a “family-friendly” outing, but personally, I have begun to wonder if we aren’t a little too light-hearted about death and destruction on our… Continue reading 2012 – “Graveyard of the Pacific” Good for Tourism? by P.Marsh