Situational awareness – an essential quality for mariners

Oct 27, 2020

Today’s show is about situational awareness, the skill of paying attention to what’s happening around you even when your tendency might be to daydream. It’s a factor in maritime accidents, and avoiding them, and is just part of the challenging work that mariners do. We’ll talk about how maritime accidents can happen. And how mariners think ahead to avoid problems, in a work environment where tremendous forces are at play.

Situational awareness – an essential quality for mariners

Situational awareness – an essential quality for mariners

Today’s show is about situational awareness, the skill of paying attention to what’s happening around you even when your tendency might be to daydream. It’s a factor in maritime accidents, and avoiding them, and is just part of the challenging work that mariners do. We’ll talk about how maritime accidents can happen. And how mariners think ahead to avoid problems, in a work environment where tremendous forces are at play.

The 114th anniversary of the wreck of the Peter Iredale

Oct 26, 2020

Yesterday marked the 114th anniversary of the wreck of the sailing cargo ship Peter Iredale, which ran ashore in foggy conditions on the ocean beach at Clatsop Spit on October 25, 1906. Parts of her steel frame remain on the beach as a reminder of the hazards of operating ships in the Graveyard of the Pacific. Today we remember the Iredale in the words and music, from  local historian Frank Lehn, and local band the Brownsmead Flats.

Photo courtesy of historian Frank Lehn and the Long Peninsula Friends of Facebook.

The 114th anniversary of the wreck of the Peter Iredale

The 114th anniversary of the wreck of the Peter Iredale

Yesterday marked the 114th anniversary of the wreck of the sailing cargo ship Peter Iredale, which ran ashore in foggy conditions on the ocean beach at Clatsop Spit on October 25, 1906. Parts of her steel frame remain on the beach as a reminder of the hazards of operating ships in the Graveyard of the Pacific. Today we remember the Iredale in the words and music, from  local historian Frank Lehn, and local band the Brownsmead Flats.

Photo courtesy of historian Frank Lehn and the Long Peninsula Friends of Facebook.

Harrowing beach rescue equipment from bygone days

Oct 20, 2020

Before we had the modern ships, planes and helicopters the USCG uses now to rescue people in trouble at sea, we had the US Lifesaving Service, which operated locally here on the Long Beach Peninsula and other area beaches. Today we take a look at the equipment they used then to save lives. Some options presented almost as frightening a prospect as a wreck itself.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Source: Library of Congress, 1919.

Harrowing beach rescue equipment from bygone days

Harrowing beach rescue equipment from bygone days

Before we had the modern ships, planes and helicopters the USCG uses now to rescue people in trouble at sea, we had the US Lifesaving Service, which operated locally here on the Long Beach Peninsula and other area beaches. Today we take a look at the equipment they used then to save lives. Some options presented almost as frightening a prospect as a wreck itself.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Source: Library of Congress, 1919.

Waterfront reflections on the river we love

Oct 19, 2020

Most of us who live near the river seldom venture out on it. But we love it all the same. Today we hear from a chef at a popular waterfront restaurant and brewery in Astoria, about how his kinship with the river, and his closeness to it, sustains him through challenging times.

Waterfront reflections on the river we love

Waterfront reflections on the river we love

Most of us who live near the river seldom venture out on it. But we love it all the same. Today we hear from a chef at a popular waterfront restaurant and brewery in Astoria, about how his kinship with the river, and his closeness to it, sustains him through challenging times.

Beaufort Wind Scale, Part 2

Oct 13, 2020

More today on the Beaufort Wind Scale… after yesterday’s podcast was cut off because of radio broadcast difficulties, I decided to redo the show so that listeners would be sure to hear about this historic, fun and useful scale that is still widely used today.

In my research for this episode, I ended up finding out even more about the Beaufort Wind Scale than I knew before. So, this Ship Report comes with a tongue-in-cheek advisory: it may be for serious geeks only. Here is probably more than you ever wanted to know about the Wind Scale to End All Wind Scales… ♥

Beaufort Wind Scale, Part 2

Beaufort Wind Scale, Part 2

More today on the Beaufort Wind Scale… after yesterday’s podcast was cut off because of radio broadcast difficulties, I decided to redo the show so that listeners would be sure to hear about this historic, fun and useful scale that is still widely used today.

In my research for this episode, I ended up finding out even more about the Beaufort Wind Scale than I knew before. So, this Ship Report comes with a tongue-in-cheek advisory: it may be for serious geeks only. Here is probably more than you ever wanted to know about the Wind Scale to End All Wind Scales… ♥

The Beaufort Wind Scale, Part 1

Oct 12, 2020

This legendary scale for determining wind speed by looking at what’s happening around you was developed in the 1880s by an Irish military officer named Francis Beaufort. It’s still used today by sailors on land and at sea to tell how hard the wind is blowing by the visible effects wind has on things like the sea state, trees and structures on land. Part one of a two part podcast on the famous Beaufort Wind Scale.

Beaufort Wind Scale, Part 2

The Beaufort Wind Scale, Part 1

This legendary scale for determining wind speed by looking at what’s happening around you was developed in the 1880s by an Irish military officer named Francis Beaufort. It’s still used today by sailors on land and at sea to tell how hard the wind is blowing by the visible effects wind has on things like the sea state, trees and structures on land. Part one of a two part podcast on the famous Beaufort Wind Scale.