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!

Biggest ship ever?

It's an ongoing debate and race between ship builders: who has the biggest ship? We'll talk about the most humongous ones, past and present, and why really, really big is sometimes just too much and not a good idea.
More

The Titanic, 107 years later

So much has been written and said about the Titanic that most people know a lot about her and her disastrous fate. But one thing is less well known: the wreck of this famous ship made life at sea much safer for those who came later. Many positive changes happened in...
More

Seaspeak

In the work environment on board ship, where people from different countries are working together, often sharing vital formation over staticy radio transmissions, the jargon "Seaspeak" was developed to help mariners understand one another despite their differences.
More

Rogue waves

Scientists have found a way to predictably create giant rogue waves in a laboratory setting. This discovery and understanding the conditions that create rogue waves, could eventually allow mariners to predict and avoid rogues. They're massive, seemingly out-of-nowhere...
More

The Salvage Chief

Today we hear a Northwest News Network story by correspondent Tom Banse, all about the restoration of this iconic PNW ship, which could be invaluable on the Columbia River in a disaster.
More

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

Biggest ship ever?

It's an ongoing debate and race between ship builders: who has the biggest ship? We'll talk about the most humongous ones, past and present, and why really, really big is sometimes just too much and not a good idea.
Listen

The Titanic, 107 years later

So much has been written and said about the Titanic that most people know a lot about her and her disastrous fate. But one thing is less well known: the wreck of this famous ship made life at sea much safer for those who came later. Many positive changes happened in...
Listen

Seaspeak

In the work environment on board ship, where people from different countries are working together, often sharing vital formation over staticy radio transmissions, the jargon "Seaspeak" was developed to help mariners understand one another despite their differences.
Listen

Rogue waves

Scientists have found a way to predictably create giant rogue waves in a laboratory setting. This discovery and understanding the conditions that create rogue waves, could eventually allow mariners to predict and avoid rogues. They're massive, seemingly out-of-nowhere...
Listen

The Salvage Chief

Today we hear a Northwest News Network story by correspondent Tom Banse, all about the restoration of this iconic PNW ship, which could be invaluable on the Columbia River in a disaster.
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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The Columbia River Ship Report
Quick Guide to Shipwatching

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.