The Ship Report, 1/3/24

New Year's Eve Ship Horns in Astoria The Ship Report is back today after a holiday vacation. It was wonderful. Happy New Year! On this first show of the new year, it's customary that I play my recording of the New Year's Eve ship horns on Astoria's waterfront. We'll also talk a bit about marine weather, our inbound and outbound ships, and a little about the history of this annual Astoria New Year's happening. Ship horns on New Year's Eve here is a special tradition, one that varies from year to year depending on the ships that happen to be visiting our city. What happens is the bar pilots ask any ships that are anchored in the river off Astoria at midnight on New Year's Eve, to please sound their horns at the stroke of midnight. (Technically the "horns" are referred to as ship's whistles, but they sound much more like horns.) These moody, ethereal sounds are a bit of Astoria magic, echoing through the night air. Enjoy.