The Ship Report

Today we’ll revisit the story of Oliver Widger, the Oregon man who is currently stuck in the Doldrums near the Equator, as he tries to sail around the world. The Doldrums is an area of the ocean near the Equator in both the Atlantic and Pacific that is prone to areas of no wind.

We’ll talk about the negative emotional and physical consequences that calm conditions, where the boat is essentially just floating, can create for someone sailing alone for long periods. And about other sailors doing similar voyages to Oliver’s who have found the Doldrums a harrowing game changer.

The post Why solo sailing requires emotional as well as physical endurance appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll look at the cargo end of things. It’s the reason why ships are here. We’ll also talk about tugs and barges, which are an essential part of our chain of  commerce on the river. They all operate on the federal waterway that is the Columbia Snake River System.

The post Ships are cool to look at, but why are they here? The short answer: cargo and the Columbia Snake River System appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today, a look at the Doldrums, a region near the Equator in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans where the wind suddenly dies. People are seeing the Doldrums in real time as they follow the journey of Oregon solo sailor Oliver Widger, whose boat has been becalmed in recent days while he waits for better wind.

Image: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

The post The Doldrums: why Oliver Widger isn’t going anywhere fast right now as he nears the Equator appeared first on The Ship Report.

A fire on Sunday at Pacific Seafood in Newport, Oregon, destroyed a freezer building and prompted evacuation orders in the area around the company’s facilities on the waterfront on Yaquina Bay.

While no employees were injured and the company was back in operation on Monday, it’s unclear that the long term effects of the fire will be on the commercial fishing industry and local jobs, as we head into Dungeness crab season in December.

The post Newport Pacific Seafood fire destroys freezer facility appeared first on The Ship Report.

We’ve got a bit of a change in the weather – rainy all week is what’s predicted. This is good news on many fronts: for one, we need the moisture. But second, it could signal a trend that our Pacific Northwest El Nino weather pattern could include abundant rain instead of drought. That’s an anomaly we see here in some El Nino years where rain is the norm while other areas have drought.

The post A change in the weather – it’s rain and that’s good news appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll dive into the ship schedule for the day, some interesting details about vessels coming and going.

The post A look at who’s coming and going on the river today appeared first on The Ship Report.

I got some great additional info I’d like to share about fueling ships locally. I learned that while car carriers fueling up here are indeed a rarity, bulk carriers do on occasion come into the river to get fuel before they move on.

We’ll talk about today’s vessels, and a bit about marine weather (including a sneaker wave warning through Thursday for area ocean beaches.

The post More on ships fueling here in Astoria appeared first on The Ship Report.

Even though we aren’t seeing much rain in our region (yet) we are seeing other changes that show us the seasons are shifting and fall is here.

Some of that information can be found in marine weather forecasts, and in other info that NOAA makes available to us about what’s happening in our local areas.

Because the coast is its own animal when it comes to weather, and sometimes we need more info to parse it out. So we know what to expect.

I’ll also talk about an unusual vessel that’s been in Astoria for about a month.

The post A look at marine weather, and at an unusual vessel that has been in Astoria for about a month appeared first on The Ship Report.

This turned out to be an interesting story: First of all, the ships in our anchorages here off Astoria tend to be bulk carriers. Occasionally maybe a car ship if they are having mechanical issues. But this ship stopped by for the sole purpose of getting fuel. Unusual, and a good opportunity to talk about ship fuel, an interesting topic in and of itself.

The post A car ship stopped by in the Astoria Anchorage over the weekend… appeared first on The Ship Report.

Oliver Widger is the Oregon man who is currently sailing south off Mexico, intending to sail alone, on a sailboat named after his cat, around the world. His story is inspiring, an “everyman” dream. it’s also important to note that he has had, and continues to have, really expert help making this happen.

As a relatively new sailor, he’s setting a wise example for others like him who may want to follow in his footsteps: Find expert help, and use it to guide your journey.

The post Widger update: a look at the team who is helping him fulfill his dream appeared first on The Ship Report.