The Pacific Tracker: an odd looking ship with an unusual mission

Today we’ll focus on one of our hometown vessels, ones that are based here but are still very unusual-looking no matter how many times you see them. Today we have the Pacific Tracker on our ship schedule – she’s based in Portland and goes out into the ocean regularly. Her job is to track missiles for the US military.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

A look at today’s abundant ship schedule, and why we may see more ships this time of year

It’s fall on the Columbia, a time when we may see more ships than usual transiting the river. one possible reason has to do with the seasons: it’s harvest time.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

The amazing true story of the Tonga Castaways

The true and astounding story of how a group of shipwrecked teenagers managed to survive, and thrive, on a deserted South Pacific island for a year until they were rescued – in a stunning example of ingenuity and teamwork.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

It’s clear from the weather that autumn is pretty much here, but when does fall start, exactly?

Today we’ll talk about the two autumns: astronomical fall and meteorological fall. We’ll talk about what the difference is, and why there are two starts to one season.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

The Seafarers Happiness Index for Q2 2023

Today, we’ll take a look at an international survey conducted every quarter of each year since 2015. It’s called the Seafarers Happiness Index, conducted by the London-based Mission to Seafarers organization.

It’s a report that compiles and analyzes survey responses from employees working at sea around the world. The report for the second quarter of 2023 is out, and it’s not particularly good news. Seafarer job satisfaction is down, continuing a trend seen last quarter as well. Industry-wide, ongoing pandemic-related problems remain, and workers are sometimes hard pressed to get paid, or have to pay extra for necessities on board like drinking water.

These workers are vital to our global economy. We’ll look at the survey results.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

Let’s talk about tankers

We see a lot of tanker vessels on the Columbia. Where do they come from and what are they carrying? We’ll talk about tankers and what makes them different from other cargo vessels.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

Tonight’s super blue moon is a rarity

Tonight the moon will be full, close to the earth, and the second full moon in a single month. That makes it a super blue moon. We’ll talk more about this moon and how rare it is, and why it will cause higher than normal tides.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

A look at a proposal for floating offshore windfarms in Oregon, and a new floating wind farm in Norway

This month, a new floating windfarm in the North Sea off Norway was offcially dedicated, after having been in successful production in the North Sea since the fall of 2022. We’ll also take a look at proposed floating wind farms off the Oregon coast.

There is a 60-day comment period underway for the Oregon project. Here’s a link to the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management page about Oregon projects. There’s info on this page and a link to file a comment about the project:

https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/Oregon

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

Solo kayaker logs almost 7,000 miles in round trip journey

Today we’ll talk about the amazing solo kayaking journey of 65-year old Canadian Mark Ervin Furhmann, who just completed a 268-day voyage alone. He departed last year from Nova Scotia, paddled north to the St Lawrence River, made his way to the Great Lakes and down the MIssissippi and adjoining rivers until he arrived in the Gulf of Mexico. From there he journeyed to Florida and up the East Coast back to Nova Scotia. He made the trip to raise funds for two charities, and to spread a message of goodwill and societal  healing.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More

Fukushima nuclear plant begins 30-year plan of water releases into the ocean off Japan

The headlines are stress-inducing – based on what we know about Fukushima – the site of the destroyed nuclear plant after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that created a disaster in that country.

In the 12 years since, radioactive water has been building up around the plant, used to keep the damaged reactor cool. Now the company that owns it has a plan to release 1.3 million metric tons of that water into the ocean over the next 30 years. (Note: A metric ton, also written as tonne, is equal to about 2200 lbs, a bit larger than a US ton which is 2,000 lbs.)

The company says the water’s been filtered to remove the worst contaminants. Critics are skeptical.

We’ll take a look at what this means and the reaction of nearby countries, as a decades-long experiment begins.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Email | RSS | More