Interesting backstory on a complex Christmas ship incident shows mariner expertise

On Christmas Eve, some lower Columbia land dwellers saw a ship and two tugs slowly making its way upriver to Rainier, where it remains anchored. The ship experienced engine failure on its way downriver, and had to turn around and retrace its path.

The complex backstory around this incident, which might have seemed to a bystander like a relatively simple maneuver, shows the incredible expertise at play in our local maritime industry, which saw numerous professionals working during the Christmas holiday, meeting difficult challenges.

A look at today's ship schedule: who's on the river?

We've got a calm weather outlook for the week, and ships coming and going.

We'll see who's here and where they're from, and what kinds of cargoes they're handling.

New Year's Eve on the Astoria Waterfront 2024

It's that time of year again, when Astoria is usually quite fortunate to hear ship horns on the waterfront at midnight. It's different every year, depending on who's in the anchorage and who chooses to participate.

Thanks to the kind ship captains who agreed to sound their horns for us this year. Enjoy these sounds of the New Year's night and our town, ringing in the new.

Happy New Year!

Dungeness Crabbing - Part 4

More about our local Dungeness crab fishery and what it takes to do this demanding profession.

Dungeness crabbing - Part 3

We continue our look at the local Dungeness crab fishery.

Dungeness crab fishing - Part 2

Today we continue our look at the local Dungeness crab fishery, from a 2016 interview I did with fishermen John Corbin and Scott McMullen.

Something special for Christmas Eve: A Coastal Christmas

My annual Christmas Eve reading of A Coastal Christmas: a retelling of the story of The Night before Christmas, in which PNW fishermen and the US Coast Guard rescue Santa and save Christmas for everyone.

A look at the Dungeness crab industry

This week and next I'll be taking some time off for the holidays. While I'm away I'll be sharing excerpts from an interview I did in 2016 with local fishermen John Corbin and Scott McMullen, all about the local Dungeness Crab fishing industry. At the time, Corbin was chair of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission, and McMullen is chair of the Oregon Fishermen's Cable Committee. Today we'll hear Part 1 of that interview.

More weather coming our way, and a look at next week's shows

A  look at the next round of weather coming our way.

And a preview of next week: an archive interview about the local Dungeness crab industry, while I take a much needed break for the holidays.

A look at weather data from Tuesday and Wednesday, and the "Sailors Empathy ToolKit"

Today we'll look at data from Tuesday night's storm, which left much of our coastal area without power on Wednesday.

We'll also take a look at a new set of small experiments I am compiling to help land dwellers understand what it's like to be a mariner on a vessel at sea. I call it the Sailors Empathy Toolkit.

So far in my metaphorical kit there are two things you can do to get an idea of what it's like to work on the deck of a boat or ship. 1. To get a feel for wind velocity, stick your head out the window of a moving car at different speeds between 30 and 60 mph. 2. To get a feel for water temperature, run the cold water in your sink at home and stick your bare arm under the water. Better yet, your head. Now you know what it might be like to fall overboard in our cold Pacific Ocean water or be hit by a wave.

You'll have new found empathy for mariners and the dangerous and challenging work they do, often at night, and in the winter, in difficult weather.