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
Category: Sailing Ships
Wrecks of the Oregon Coast–Emily Reed to New Carissa
The remains of the sailing ship Peter Iredale at the northwest tip of Oregon are well-known as the most visited wreck on the West Coast. But for hardcore shipwreck fans, the real achievement is to see one of the unpredictable “disappearing” wrecks of the Pacific Northwest. This demands great patience, low tides, and a great… Continue reading Wrecks of the Oregon Coast–Emily Reed to New Carissa
The Cutty Sark Sails into the 21st Century
In 2008, the world’s only surviving clipper ship, the Cutty Sark, suffered a disastrous fire that came close to destroying the entire hull in its permanent drydock beside the River Thames in Greenwich. This news was especially shocking for me because I grew up less than a mile from the great ship and considered it… Continue reading The Cutty Sark Sails into the 21st Century
How the Taste for Tea Created the Tea Clippers
Tea reached Europe from China around 1560 on Portuguese and Dutch ships, but it was a latecomer to England. In London, coffee was the drink of choice among businessmen and Edward Lloyd’s coffee house became the center of shipping insurance. The most English of drinks only gained popularity when Charles II was restored to the… Continue reading How the Taste for Tea Created the Tea Clippers
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!
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?
Cannons from 1846 Wreck Spotted on North Oregon Coast
2014 discovery of Cannons Excites Town of Cannon Beach The two half-ton cannons found on the Oregon coast have returned after a six-year restoration at the Center for Marine Archeology and Conservation at Texas A & M university. They were finally put on display at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria on May 24—and… Continue reading Cannons from 1846 Wreck Spotted on North Oregon Coast
1992: The COVE System–COre/Veneer/Epoxy
I invented the term “COVE System” in the 1990’s to describe Schooner Creek Boatworks’ wood-composite boat construction method. COVE which stands for COre/Veneer/Epoxy. It a system that utilizes thin layers of wood for the inner and outer skins and a Divinycell structural foam core, all laminated with West System epoxy. Schooner Creek founder Steve Rander… Continue reading 1992: The COVE System–COre/Veneer/Epoxy
“Tango Around the Horn” Book Review
Introduction My connection with author Larry Barber began in 1989, when he published his first book “Tango Round the Horn” at the remarkable age of 88. The Tango was the last and the biggest sailing ship to ever carry lumber from the Pacific Northwest forests, originally built in Scotland in 1902 as a 396′ square… Continue reading “Tango Around the Horn” Book Review