The Ship Report is All Things Maritime!

Ship Report podcasts take you to a special corner of the world: the Mighty Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. Nautical lore, news and info, mariner interviews, daily international ship traffic, and the inside scoop on our formidable marine weather. Join maritime journalist Joanne Rideout on the Ship Report, as we explore the fascinating nautical world, on the Upper Left Edge of Oregon and beyond.  The Ship Report is proud to celebrate 16 years on the air!

Become a “water reader”

Today we're talking about rip currents - areas at the beach where water is rushing at high speed out to sea. Learn how to read the water and save your life and the life of your loved ones.
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Summer safety on the coast

This month I had a request from the USCG at Air Station Astoria, where they asked if one of their personnel could come on the show and talk about safety, just before the 4th of July holiday weekend. They wanted to let people know about the dangers inherent in living...
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Oregon Commercial Fishing

The commercial fishing industry is a huge economic driver on the coast. But most people don't realize that the fresh-caught, wild fish we love so much is caught, for the most part, by small business owners, fishermen and women who go out in relatively small boats,...
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Pilot boats

We see pilot boats working on the waterfront all the time. What are they and why are they important?
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Rainy July?

This week we have a rainy weather pattern that's more typical of late fall than summer. We'll talk about the weather and what it means for the PNW to have rain in the summer like this. 
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Columbia River Ship Traffic

GO

Approximate Vessel Travel Times

(Times vary according to tidal conditions, current, weather, and individual vessel horsepower)

  • Portland/Vancouver -Astoria: 6-8 hours
  • Kalama -Astoria: 5 hours
  • Longview -Astoria: 3.5 hours
  • Columbia River Bar – Astoria: 1.5 hours

Water Speed & Currents

Curated Links

Arts
Local
Maritime
NOAA
Photos
Tsunami
Video

Tides

When’s High Tide where you are?  Find Tidal info at www.saltwatertides.com

Tide times are often listed in 24 hour time.  For times after noon, subtract 1200 from the time to get regular clock time. Ex: 1300 hrs – 1200 = 1:00 pm)

MLLW:  Also, tides are referenced to Mean Lower Low Water, a reference point for depth on many nautical charts. MLLW is the average of the lower of the two low tides in a day, over a 19-year cycle. Minus tides are lower than MLLW.

Adjustments: If you’re right on the coast, subtract an hour from these times. Upriver, highs and lows happen later. For instance, in Knappa, add an hour. In Clatskanie, add 2 hours and 15 minutes.

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Ship Report Podcasts

Become a “water reader”

Today we're talking about rip currents - areas at the beach where water is rushing at high speed out to sea. Learn how to read the water and save your life and the life of your loved ones.
Listen

Oregon Commercial Fishing

The commercial fishing industry is a huge economic driver on the coast. But most people don't realize that the fresh-caught, wild fish we love so much is caught, for the most part, by small business owners, fishermen and women who go out in relatively small boats,...
Listen

Pilot boats

We see pilot boats working on the waterfront all the time. What are they and why are they important?
Listen

Rainy July?

This week we have a rainy weather pattern that's more typical of late fall than summer. We'll talk about the weather and what it means for the PNW to have rain in the summer like this. 
Listen

Earthquakes

Recent earthquakes in California have us wondering whether the Oregon coast will be next. Today we talk about whether, in this case, the two regions are seismically connected.
Listen
10-Minute Ship Reports: Monday through Thursday, featuring  Daily Ship Traffic, Marine Weather, News and Interviews

Ship Report Minutes:  On Fridays, where we answer listener questions. Short and sweet!

The Ship Report is also broadcast Weekdays at 8:49 am on Coast Community Radio Astoria, Oregon

coastradio.org

Columbia River Bar

Pacific NW Coast Bar Closure Info from NOAA.

Also on Facebook and Twitter(US Coast Guard).

“Pilot transfer” is when a pilot disembarks or boards a ship. Ships generally must by law have a river or bar pilot on board when they are on the Columbia or Willamette Rivers. The bar and river pilots have separate pilotage grounds defined by the Oregon Legislature.

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Fisher Poet’s Gathering CD

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Meet Joanne Rideout

Producer Joanne Rideout is a journalist and photographer who created The Ship Report in 2003. Since then Joanne and has been interviewing, writing and photographing the maritime world and its interesting people as much as she possibly can.

Ship Horn Signals

Commonly Heard off Astoria

One prolonged blast every two minutes or less: vessel operating in fog.

Five consecutive horn blasts: warning signal that means literally “I do not know your intention.” This generally means another vessel is in the way of a ship in the channel, and is being asked to move before they collide.

Three short blasts: Vessel going in reverse

One long blast followed by three short: signal for the change of pilots. Soon after this signal, you’ll see the pilot launch Arrow II head out to a passing ship, to facilitate the transfer of bar and river pilots.