Jun 30, 2026 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts
Today, an unusual ship alert for a unique US Coast Guard ship that we hardly ever see on the Columbia. The USCG Cutter Healy, the Guard’s largest ship and an icebreaker, has been at the Portland Vigor shipyard since January for maintenance and repairs.
She heads downriver and out to sea today. We’ll talk about her unusual mission and capabilities, which include breaking through 4.5 feet of solid ice, and hosting scientific crews hoping to study high latitude waters near the North Pole.
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Jun 29, 2026 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts
It was in the “ordinary things we take for granted that are quite important” department: the National Weather Service on Sunday suddenly did not have weather forecasts available to the public on their website, thanks to an IT issue. As they worked to fix it, we went a few hours without updated weather info. Maybe not the end of the world in most cases, but for folks in parts of the country experiencing severe weather, accurate updated NWS warnings could be lifesaving.
Today we talk about the importance of this taxpayer-funded service, which is free to the public, and relied upon by land dwellers and mariners alike. How its data is the basis for most forecasts across many platforms and apps. And how we take for granted the complex system that makes it possible.
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Jun 25, 2026 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts
Continuing the theme of ships in the anchorage this week, I thought I would share another listener question about anchored ships. It has to do with a frequent choice ships make, which is to deploy the anchor on the port side instead of the starboard side when anchoring off Astoria.
It’s an interesting question with an equally interesting answer, that shows the level of complexity of even ordinary things relating to vessels.
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Jun 24, 2026 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts
Today I’ll answer a listener question about why anchored ships can look so disorganized when the tide is changing on the river.
It’s a good question that involves water flow, natural systems, and reflects the complex and amazing place we live in.
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Jun 23, 2026 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts
Ships sitting calmly in the anchorage are actually far from still: they’re doing a slow dance around an ingenious anchor and chain system that works in strong currents, acting like a spring, to protect the ship and keep it stable.
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Jun 22, 2026 | Home Slider, Ship Report Podcasts
Today, an update on the ocean sensors story from last week, and a look at how wind and tide greatly affect river conditions – something to pay attention to if you’re going out in a boat.
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