Rotor sails

The grand old age of sail could be on the upswing again in the maritime industry, but not in quite the same way as in the age of Clipper ships. New devices called “rotor sails” use the same principles as their canvas cousins, but apply them in a different way. Spinning columns on ship decks generate the same kind of lift as traditional sails. They save fuel and are already in use on some cargo ships, such as the Maersk ship pictured here.

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Commercial fishing, Part 4

More from marine ecologist Amanda Gladics, with Oregon Sea Grant, about regulations and controls that protect marine ecosystems from harmful fishing practices.

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Commercial fishing, Part 3

Part 3 in our series on Commercial fishing gear. This series was inspired by a listener question about long-lining, which is a name for a type of fishing gear and style that can mean different things depending on where it is occurring. We talk with Amanda Gladics, a marine ecologist and faculty member with Oregon Sea Grant.

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Commercial fishing, Part 2

Part 2 in our series about Commercial fishing in US territorial waters, where government regulations and monitoring prevent harmful practices that endanger fish stocks and other creatures who also eat fish. We’ll hear from marine ecologist Amanda Gladics, who is a faculty member with Oregon Sea Grant.

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Commercial fishing, Part 1

Today begins a week-long series about commercial fishing, featuring marine ecologist and Oregon Sea Grant faculty member Amanda Gladics.

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Bayocean, the Oregon community the ocean took away

Today’s show is about the short-lived Oregon beach community of Bayocean, in Tillamook County, whose builders thought they could turn their back on the ocean and get away with it.

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Winter weather outlook for the Pacific Northwest

Weather in the Pacific Northwest is a very maritime thing.  Today we talk about the 2019-20 winter weather outlook for our region. A lot of it depends on what’s happening in the oceans of the world, around the Equator and the North Pole. We’ll hear the latest from Tillamook meteorologist and emergency manager Gordon McCraw

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Happy Birthday, Cape D Light!

[Note: Today’s featured photo was taken by Long Beach Peninsula resident Frank Lehn, who is also the creator and moderator of the Long Beach Peninsula Friends of Facebook social media page.]

This month marks the 163rd Birthday of the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse in Ilwaco, Washington, on the Long Beach Peninsula. I learned about this through an interesting Facebook group, run by Peninsula resident Frank Lehn, called Long Beach Peninsula Friends of Facebook. Frank’s posts are all about history and culture of the Peninsula. Great photos and stories about the region!

Today I’m also talking about the history of this venerable landmark and beacon, and why there are two lighthouses very close together in this area of the Oregon Coast.

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“Panamax” has a wider meaning these days

We used to refer to ships that could just fit through the old Panama Canal locks at “Panamax” ships. They could be no wider than 106 feet in order to shoehorn themselves through the 110 ft wide canal. But with the opening a few years ago of the new, wider Panama Canal next to the old one, that definition has changed a bit. It’s called “New Panamax.”

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