The Ship Report

A moment of inattention has big consequences at sea

Today we'll talk about an accident at sea where inattention and fatigue helped create a costly and catastrophic mistake,

We'll talk about the cost of not paying attention on land and sea.

Remembering the Great Coastal Gale of 2007

Seventeen years ago this month, a series of storms later called the "Great Coastal Gale of 2007," hit PNW coastal communities hard, causing serious flooding inland too. Here on the coast, residents were reeling, left without power and cell service for days.

We'll share some recollections today about that storm, and what it showed us about ourselves.

Tragedy in Alaska, as a fishing boat is lost

The Alaska commercial fishing community is grieving today with the loss of the 50-foot fishing boat, the Wind Walker, out of Sitka, which capsized in stormy seas a little after midnight early Monday morning southwest of Juneau.

Despite an extensive search with many Coast Guard and civilian resources, neither the boat nor her crew have not been found.

Incidents like this reverberate through our fishing communities throughout the region, especially as our own local Lower Columbia crabbing fleet prepares to go to sea in the worst weather of the year, as the season opens in the next few weeks.

Send your best to these grieving families, and to all our fishermen... may they have a successful, safe and profitable season. And your sincere gratitude for a good catch.

A look at who's on the river today

An overveiw and a detailed look at ship traffic on the river today.

Holiday weekend weather outlook is one to savor

As we head on into the holiday weekend, the forecast is looking amazingly dry and sunny for the next few days. Savor the moment, as rain will return next week, and our winter weather promises to be on target for a normal weather year: and that means, wind rain and snow. Winter in the Pacific Northwest.

Holidays at sea

On this Thanksgiving Eve, let's take a moment to send our best wishes to all the sailors on board the many ships that ply our waters. They're far from home, missing loved ones, and the holidays make it all the more poignant. We'll talk about holidays on board merchant ships.

Upriver rescue

Today we'll talk about a rescue upriver on the Columbia near Vancouver. A reminder that the river is a formidable force all along its length, and not just in the areas near the mouth where a lot of rescues, weather and other influences happen and get a lot of attention.

A look at today's ship schedule

It's great to see ships moving on the river again. We'll have some relatively calm weather this week, so we'll take a look at who's on the river today.

More weather on the way

Another storm is heading out way, with the potential to disrupt the flow of ship traffic on the river. This is pretty normal and happens in the winter time. Safety is essential for ships and the people on them.

Waterspout off the Long Beach Peninsula shows the serious nature of local weather

After our near-miss with a severe storm that walloped Washington to the north of us, a thunderstorm off the Long Beach Peninsula yesterday spawned a waterspout in the ocean off Long Beach. The waterborne tornado moved on up the coast to Tokeland and beyond. And we have more weather on the way.

Don't be tempted to feel cavalier about the fact that this round of weather "wasn't so bad." It could be next time. Winter on the coast means staying informed and being prepared.