The Most Recent Ship Report Podcast:

The pilot boat Peacock, now a museum exhibit, was a real game changer for Columbia River commerce

This week marks 15 years since the pilot boat Peacock was lifted out of the Columbia River and placed on land, on the campus of the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, where she welcomes people traveling past the museum on Marine Drive. She's now a retired icon of Columbia River shipping, but when she first arrived here in the late 1960s, the Peacock opened a new era in river commerce. That was thsnks to her unprecedented ability to handle channeling weather conditions that previous...

Archive Podcasts:

Archive week on the Ship Report: Interview with a rescue swimmer, Part 1

This week I’m taking a little time off, and am sharing one of my favorite interviews: one I did in the early 2000s with a USCG rescue swimmer, an incredibly dangerous and demanding profession. These intrepid folks risk their lives on a regular basis to keep us safe.

Each day this week we’ll hear another part of this interesting interview, which took place at the USCG Group/Air Station Astoria, located at the Astoria Warrenton Airport. Enjoy, and I’ll see you next week.

The Fisher Poets Gathering: remembering those now gone

Today, to celebrate the opening of the annual Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon, we honor Fisher Poets who are no longer with us.

We’ll hear a song from Fisher Poet great Jon Campbell, who passed a few years ago. Jon was a prolific and creative songwriter and performer who hailed from Rhode Island, and his performances were unforgettable.

You can hear more of the works of Jon Campbell and other, living, Fisher Poets, at this weekend’s Annual Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon. Performances are are happening Friday through Sunday morning.  For more info, see fisherpoets.org.

If you can’t attend, KMUN radio in Astoria will livestream the Gathering from 6-10 pm Friday and Saturday from the Liberty Theater in Astoria. You can tune into KMUN locally at 91.9 fm, or livestream it at kmun.org, or download the KMUN app. I’ll be your host both nights.

For a live videostream of FPG performances at the Liberty on Friday and Saturday nights, check out the FisherPoetry Archive Project’s live videostream, courtesy of FPAP founder Brad Wartman. You’ll find that on the FisherPoetry Archive YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thefisherpoetryarchive. 

Note: I’ll be away next week visiting with old friends. I hope you enjoy the archive interviews you’ll hear Feb 24-28. The Ship Report will return, with ship schedules and marine weather, on March 3.

Fisher Poets Gathering Spotlight: Tele Aadsen

As this weekend’s annual Fisher Poets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon, approaches, we’ll take a look today at a PNW author who’s been a regular at the event for years: Tele Aadsen.

Tele published her first book in 2023, What Water Holds, and today we’ll hear a reading from it. Plus, how you can get more info about the Gathering, and how to listen live if you can’t be there.

The Gathering begins Friday, with events on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Annual Columbia River dam and lock maintenance begins in March

The Columbia River has dams and locks inland from Vancouver, and billions in commerce pass though those locks each year by tug and barge. After all that wear and tear, the Army Corps of Engineers schedules yearly maintenance periods during which locks are closed and all equipment is inspected, repaired and maintained. It’s part of the essential workings of a river system that is a huge economic engine for the region. We’re coming up on one of those annual two week periods in March.

A look at the people in port who make ship transits and port stays happen

We’ve been talking this week on the show about People on the ships we see. So far we’ve talked about the people on board. Today we’ll talk about an important additional piece of things: the portside army of professionals who make it possible for ships to arrive, handle cargo, and depart – in as smooth and efficient a manner as possible.

 

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