Marine pilot overview – a vital but unseen profession

For folks who may be new to the region, or any of us who haven’t thought recently about what it takes to get a ship from the mouth or the river to Portland – today’s show is an overview of what marine pilots do, and who is doing that work here on the lower Columbia.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

Chinook Observer story analyzes beach drownings

An incisive story in local newspaper the Chinook Observer analyzes the commonalities n drowning victims over the years on the Peninsula.

A distinct pattern has emerged: victims are mostly young, fit swimmers who are overcome by cold water and rip currents, often on days when beach conditions appear ideal and unthreatening.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

Cliff Mass predicts low-key summer PNW weather, cites cooler ocean temps

In light of scary news about high ocean temps off Florida (90 degrees, F.!), we take a look at what’s happen in the opposite corner of the country, in our Pacific NW ocean and weather neighbothood, courtesy of University of Washington meteorologist Cliff Mass.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

New containership highlights green methanol as ship fuel

A new containership has joined the  fleet of the huge shipping line Maersk, and what makes it special is that it runs on green methanol. We’ll talk about what that is, and why it’s an important step in the evolution toward cleaner fuels for the shipping industry.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

Sailboat races off Astoria in the Columbia River

Tuesday nights in the summer, Astoria residents and visitors can see the Astoria Yacht Club sailboat races happening in the river, starting at about 6 pm a little downriver from the Megler Bridge. It’s a neat opportunity to watch sailors negotiate the tricky waters, currents and winds of the lower Columbia.

Photo credit: Joanne Rideout, photo of Rattler, a contender in the Tuesday Night Astoria Yacht Club Races.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

A look at today’s ship schedule, including a luxury cruise ship, and a chance for northern lights this week

A luxury cruise ship arrives in Astoria today. She’s on her way south to San Francisco, where passengers will board her for a 20-day trip through the Panama Canal to NY. If you have a spare $8K you’d like to spend, that’s what costs to book passage.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

A trip to Samoa on the training ship Golden Bear, and becoming a Golden Shellback

Today, in the final installment of an interview with Samaro Bannister, the captain of the Cal Maritime training ship the Golden Bear, Captain Bannister describes the ship’s two-month intinerary around the Pacific, ending up in Astoria for the 4th of July holiday.

The trip included a rare honor: students became “golden shellbacks” after the ship crossed the spot where the Equator and the International Dateline intersect in the open ocean north of Samoa. It’s a traditional milestone of experience in the lives of mariners, and one that not that many people in the world can say they’ve done.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

More about life at sea aboard the Cal Maritime training ship, the Golden Bear

Today we hear more from my interview with Captain Samaro Bannister – she’s the master of the Cal Maritime training ship, the Golden Bear, which spent 5 days in Astoria pver the 4th of July holiday weekend. Today we talk more with Captain Bannister about running a training ship, where your cargo is students who need to learn all they can during the “at sea” portion of their education.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

A chat with the captain of the Golden Bear

Today we’ll hear the first segment of an interview with the captain of the Cal Maritime training ship, the Golden Bear. Captain Samaro Bannister is a 2000 graduate of the school with an impressive career in the maritime industry.

She holds an unlimited masters license, which allows her to serve as the master on any ship of any tonnage, size, or type, anywhere in the world. And she’s the first woman ever to hold the position of captain on a Cal Maritime training ship.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

Cal Maritime training ship the Golden Bear visits Astoria

We have a special visitor in town for the 4th; the California Maritime Academy’s cadet training ship the Golden Bear is in town. She’s docked at the Port of Astoria until Wednesday. The school is a four-year university that teaches students who want to work in the maritime professions.

Image: The original uploader was Frijole at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More