Today’s Ship Report features another clip from my interview with USCG surfman and coxswain Amanda Green. I asked her about the kind of training it takes to attain the expertise she’s mastered in the Coast Guard.

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In today’s segment of my interview with USCG surfman and motor lifeboat coxswain Amanda Green, she talks about what it was like to qualify for this demanding job, as one of only a dozen women who have become surfmen in of 200 such highly qualified personnel nationwide.

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What’s it like to work on the infamous Columbia River Bar, in the worst weather? That’s business as usual for Amanda Green, USCG surfman. She’s someone you might meet if all hell breaks loose when you’re out on a boat in our local waters. We’ll hear more from my interview with her.

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We continue our chat with Amanda Green and learn a bit about military ranks and roles in the USCG. Like, what’s a coxswain, and how do you say it? 

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Today on the Ship Report we begin an interview with an extraordinary woman who lives and works right here in our backyard. She’s Amanda Green, 28 years old, USCG petty officer, and a rescue surfman, trained to handle the roughest weather the Coast Guard takes on. She works as a coxswain aboard the motor lifeboats that rescue scores of people annually in the coastal waters of the U.S. Today we begin with a look at what led a Philly born young woman to choose such high level training in the one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, on the Graveyard of the Pacific.

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Scientists on an arctic expedition underway now will seek to seal themselves in winter ice for the winter at the top of the world in a ship, to study the effects of climate change.

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In the early 20th century, a unique rail line served a great purpose on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington state. The Clamshell Railroad was a narrow gauge rail line that ran eventually from Nahcotta in the north to Megler in the south. It stopped for just about anything or anyone, and adjusted its arrival with the tides. It was a charming footnote in Pacific Northwest history.

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In this special Ship Report, I talk with retired tugboat Captain Phil Martin, all about the business of hauling things by tug and barge. Tugs and barges are among the workhorses of the merchant fleet, and barges are by far generally the most economical means of hauling cargo. Today we also talk about an interesting question: Since all voyages must end, and there are no brakes at sea, how do you stop a tug and barge?

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Today on this special Ship Report, I talk with Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Dan Jordan, all about his challenging work as a marine pilot working in the Graveyard of the Pacific, where the mighty Columbia River meets the vast Pacific Ocean.

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