First woman appointed to lead Kings Point Merchant Marine Academy

The first woman ever to head the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point was appointed this month. She’s a US Coast Guard Rear Admiral with a history of advocating for women’s rights in the maritime industry. She’s part of a wave of change in an industry that historically has not been welcoming to women. We’ll look at her story and compare it to the story of a famous Astorian, a woman who blazed trails in the maritime industry, but not without overcoming considerable hurdles.

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Fitz followup: memories from one who was there

Last week we talked about the sinking of the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald, and her tragic loss with all hands on November 10, 1975 in Lake Superior. This sad event echoed through Great Lakes communities, and people still commemorate this loss so many years later, as they honor the crew members and their families each year in ceremonies.

Today we hear from a local man who was living and working in the Great Lakes region when the Mighty Fitz went down. He Reid Johnson was 19 then, stationed aboard a USCG cutter. Their ship was too far away to help, but they heard the tragedy unfold on the ship’s radio.

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The Wreck of the Mighty Fitz

She was known all around the world, thanks to Gordon Lightfoot’s famous song. But most people never knew that the song is a factual account of the sinking of a famous and beloved iron ore ship, the Edmund Fitzgerald. The sinking of the Mighty Fitz was one of the worst maritime tragedies in US history. Today, as we do every year, we honor her crew, their loved ones, and all of our maritime families.

Also, Happy Veteran’s Day to all our veterans and their loved ones.

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Today we look at our ships on the river, and what they mean for us

A closer look at who’s on the river today, from the perspective of where these ships fit into what’s essential in our daily lives.

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An update on the Golden Globe solo round the world race

Contenders have been at sea for a little over two months, and boats are now rounding the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa after departing France in September. In first place is Simon Curwen of the UK, and in second place, about a day behind him, is Kirsten Neuschäfer, from South Africa. Neuschäfer the only woman sailing in the race, and she sailed past Cape Town yesterday.

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Full moon, lunar eclipse, the Moon is a big player in our night skies this week and always

This week we see a full moon under clear skies, a rare thing this time of year. We also had a lunar eclipse this week. All reasons to appreciate the beauty and power of the Moon, that orbiting planet that exerts so much influence over our home, Earth.

Image Credit: This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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Wind chill, a potentially life-threatening feature of winter on the water

Today, as the weather turns cold and snow comes to the highlands, we’ll talk about how wind and temperature can work together to create life threatening circumstances on board for people working out in the weather.

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We’ve got some weather comin’ in

First big storm of the season hits the coast today. We’ll talk about winter weather here, and look at some terms like “atmospheric river” and “coastal jet.”

Overall, it’s not the worst storm we’ve ever seen by a long shot, but it’s going to rain like mad for awhile. Hunker down a bit, prepare for a power outage, and keep an eye out for flooding.

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The little-noticed but stunning power of the tide

Every day something both extraordinary and ordinary happens on our waterways: the changing of the tide. We seldom stop to think about it, but this ordinary occurrence represents the influence of powerful forces on the Earth by celestial bodies far from us, in outer space.

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One more time: story shows sneaker waves are a serious local threat

Today a look at a story about a couple who almost died earlier this week when they were walking on the beach on the Long Beach Peninsula and were caught by a sneaker wave. We’ll look at why such waves occur here and not in other places, and why we need to be mindful even on nice days.

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