A look at the bows of ships: the very important front end of things

A look at the bows of ships: the very important front end of things

Jan 21, 2025 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts

Today, a look at a very specific and important design feature on ships: the bow, the very front end of things. Why do they look the way they do? And why do some ships look different than others?

Image: a ship with a plumb bow in the Astoria Anchorage. Credit: Joanne Rideout 2025.

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Kalama seeks to address sand shortage with dredge spoils project

Kalama seeks to address sand shortage with dredge spoils project

Jan 16, 2025 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts

To address a regional sand shortage, a critical element in concrete production, the Port of Kalama is hoping to get the go ahead for a project that would use sand dredged from the Columbia River instead of transporting sand in from elsewhere.

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The river can be deceiving unless you look carefully

The river can be deceiving unless you look carefully

Jan 15, 2025 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts

I was walking along the riverside in Astoria yesterday and it sure looked calm out there on the water. Upon closer inspection, there was a actually max ebb tide happening, and the water in the channel was rushing toward the sea. No wind though, and not much surface turbulence.

A reminder that the river can be deceving to the inexperienced: don’t ever forget that the mighty Columbia River is never a placid lake, no matter how many pretty reflections you can see in parts of the river’s surface.

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