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.

A look at common heavy weather terms to describe intensity as more storms come our way

The National Weather Service says we'll be looking at 20 foot seas and 60 mph winds offhore by the end of the week. Ships are already waiting out in the ocean. Another wintry week on the lower Columbia.

A look at who's on the river, amid worsening weather

We have another round of winter weather coming in with high seas and winds, meanwhile ships that were stuck in port or out at sea over the weekend, during our previous storm, are hoping to move on before the next one hits.

The river at night

Today, as we continue through the season of short days and lots of darkness, we'll talk about getting around on the river at night.

A look at bar restrictions up and down the coast as a new round of weather arrives

Those of us who live on or near the Lower Columbia River tend to think of bar restrictions as things affecting the Columbia River Bar. But actually, there are river and bay bars up and down the coast and they all are dynamic and dangerous areas where inland waterways meet the ocean. Today we'll take a look at what's happening along the PNW coast.

Gantry cranes: a look at some unusual equipment on an anchored bulk carrier

A listener sent me a photo of a ship in the Astoria Anchorage that had some unusual looking equipment on deck. It's called a  gantry crane, and it allows the ship to handle containers using onboard equipment.