The Ship Report

Sixteen sailboats left Les Sables D’Olonne, France, over the weekend to compete in a unique race called the Golden Globe. Participants sail solo in boats equipped only with technology available when the race was first run in 1968. That means no GPS, no satellite connectivity, no cell or sat phones. Sextant and compass to navigate, […] The post The Golden Globe Race begins, with sailors departing from France to sail around the world alone appeared first on The Ship Report.

While I’ve talked about the need to understand and work with current on the river, it seems that some vessels go out there any old time and do well. Let’s talk today about why that’s the case. It has to do with vessel design, physics, friction and horsepower. The post Another look at river current – outboard motors, friction, horsepower and physics appeared first on The Ship Report.

We’re having our first fall storm of the season today, and that brings the potential for interruptions to ship traffic as sea height increase. Even if that’s not what happens today, most assuredly sometime soon it will. The post As our first storm of the season arrives, we enter the season for possible river bar restrictions appeared first on The Ship Report.

It’s September 1st and that means the end of meteorological summer and the beginning of meteorological fall. A slightly different designation than standard fall later in the month, it’s used by weather scientists to keep track of weather patterns. And right on time, our weather is obliging with wind and rain, and cooling temperatures. The post Today is the first day of meteorological fall appeared first on The Ship Report.

Another kind of ship we see fairly often here on the river is the research vessel. Its cargo is live people: scientists whose mission is the study the oceanographic environment. As it turns out, the Columbia River is an ideal option for ships who are in our region of the Pacific and need to make […] The post A look at research vessels appeared first on The Ship Report.

We’ll talk about a recent blog post from UW meteorologist Cliff Mass, talking about the cooling trend we are entering in our weather, as fall makes its presence known. It will be cool on the coast and cooler inland.   The post Cooling trend in our weather as fall approaches appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll hear the second of a two-part interview on ship lights from the Ship Report archives, from an interview I did years ago with Columbia River Bar Pilot Captain Robert Johnson. Light colors and placement are not random, and their patterns hold great meaning for other vessels that may see them at night. Today […] The post The lights you see at night on ships: They hold great meaning, especially for other vessels, and even aircraft, Part 2 appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll hear the first of a two-part interview on ship lights from the Ship Report archives, from an interview I did years ago with Columbia River Bar Pilot Captain Robert Johnson. Light colors and placement are not random, and their patterns hold great meaning for other vessels that may see them at night. There […] The post The lights you see at night on ships: They hold great meaning, especially for other vessels, Part 1 appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about an important term in marine weather: the concept of “significant wave height.” Understanding the meaning of this term can give you a more realistic expectation of what the weather may be like at sea when you go out in a vessel.   The post Understanding the marine weather forecast: significant wave height appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about the approach of autumn, shorter days and the different kinds of twilight we experience as the sun rises and sets. The post Some seasonal and navigational astronomy as the days get shorter appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll take a look at the Crystal Symphony, a luxury cruise ship that will be in Astoria on Wednesday. She’s just begun a 39 day cruise that started earlier this week in Vancouver, BC, that will take her down the West Coast, to Mexico, through the Panama Canal, visiting various locations in South America […] The post Today the first of three remaining cruise ships calls on Astoria for the 2026 season. Her cruise is an unusual one. appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today, a look at who’s coming and going on the river, and since we frequently see ships arriving from Vancouver. BC, going to Vancouver, WA, I thought it would be fun to talk about how these namesake cities got their names. Plus, in our weather, “Fogust” returns with foggy conditions, especially on the river. The post A look at today’s ship schedule, and a bit about our two Vancouvers appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today I’d like to answer this question from another angle, after seeing someone post a photo of a calm Columbia River Bar on a recent day, from the perspective of being out there on the water in that area in a small boat. And essentially posing the question: “It looks pretty calm to me…What’s the […] The post Answering the question: So what’s the big deal about the Columbia River Bar? It looks pretty calm to me… appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk more about how tides change all the time here, and affect us on both the river and ocean beaches. And how this information is practical to know as we go about our daily lives, even if we never go near the water. The post More on tides in our daily lives appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today, we take a look at the strain vessels are under in the work they do. And how weather can push things to the breaking point, causing lines and wires to “part” or break, with sometimes catastrophic results. Photo: Courtesy Sara’s Old Photos. The tanker Keystone Canyon broke loose from the Port of Astoria docks […] The post A look at why lines (and shrouds) on ships and boats can “part” and why it’s so dangerous appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about a useful guideline for navigating in heavily tidal waters like the Columbia. It’s called the Rule of 12ths. The Rule of 12ths divides the tidal cycle into segments, and shows when the most active times are happening. It offers a useful pattern to determine when the falling or rising tide will […] The post The Rule of 12ths: a way to gauge tidal dangers on the Columbia appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll look at today’s abundant ship schedule, and also take a look at this week’s tides, which feature pretty big tidal swings between high and low tide. This can be an issue for people on the river in boats, as many people are during this month’s Buoy 10 salmon fishing season on the Columbia. The post Today’s ship schedule and a look at tides in the river appeared first on The Ship Report.

While ship traffic may seem slow some days on the lower river near the Columbia’s mouth, there’s plenty happening upriver near busy ports, and inland as far as Idaho. We’ll talk about upriver traffic on this busy marine highway, which includes the Snake River and Lewiston, Idaho. The post The busy inland Columbia River appeared first on The Ship Report.

A listener sent me an interesting question this week: asking why pilot transfers happen while ships are moving, because the process seems unsafe. Today I’ll talk about why this practice remains the best and safest way to handle that pilot boat maneuver here (and in many places around the world). And yes, it is inherently […] The post A listener question about pilot boats and ships appeared first on The Ship Report.

The National Weather Service warns us this week to expect wildfire smoke on the coast, thanks to a change in wind direction. We’ll talk about current air quality readings around the region, and what to expect. Image: A smoky haze hung over Astoria on Monday, as inland wildfire smoke makes its way to the coast. […] The post Smoky haze arrives on the coast from wildfires appeared first on The Ship Report.

The Buoy 10 fishing season is in full swing here on the lower Columbia, and I thought I would share my happy observations on our local docks yesterday afternoon. Also a few things to think about if you are going out here in a small boat to fish on the Columbia. The post A bit more about Buoy 10 appeared first on The Ship Report.

Glad to be back from a recent week off, with the answer to a listener question, and a little about “how I spent my summer vacation” with a bit about my beloved boat. The post Answering a listener question about pilots, and a little about my boat appeared first on The Ship Report.

This week I’m taking a little much needed time off, so we’ll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really interesting interview i did with Columbia River Bar Pilot Captain Robert Johnson, sometime in the early 2000s, all about the often-seen bulk carrier, the most common type of ship we see on […] The post From the Ship Report archives: an in-depth look at Bulk Carriers, Part 4 appeared first on The Ship Report.

This week I’m taking a little much needed time off, so we’ll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really interesting interview i did with Columbia River Bar Pilot Captain Robert Johnson, sometime in the early 2000s, all about the often-seen bulk carrier, the most common type of ship we see on […] The post From the Ship Report archives: an in-depth look at Bulk Carriers, Part 3 appeared first on The Ship Report.

This week I’m taking a little much needed time off, so we’ll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really interesting interview i did with Columbia River Bar Pilot Captain Robert Johnson, sometime in the early 2000s, all about the often-seen bulk carrier, the most common type of ship we see on […] The post From the Ship Report archives: an in-depth look at Bulk Carriers, Part 2 appeared first on The Ship Report.

This week I’m taking a little much needed time off, so we’ll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really interesting interview i did with Columbia River Bar Pilot Captain Robert Johnson, sometime in the early 2000s, all about the often-seen bulk carrier, the most common type of ship we see on […] The post From the Ship Report archives: an in-depth look at Bulk Carriers, Part 1 appeared first on The Ship Report.

In our region’s maritime history, the Columbia River Bar has long been known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, because of all the vessels lost there, at the mouth of the river. Nowadays, even with all our high tech modern gear and resources, it’s still considered one of the most dangerous river entrances in the […] The post Why the Columbia River Bar is so dangerous even in modern times appeared first on The Ship Report.

The historic fireboat David Campbell found a permanent place in history yesterday, after being placed on land at Astoria’s Columbia River Maritime Museum. A big crowd turned out to watch the proceedings, which involved lifting the 244,00 lb. boat off a barge and carefully placing her on land as an outdoor exhibit, soon to be […] The post Historic Portland fireboat comes to Columbia River Maritime Museum appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about economies of scale in the maritime industry, which means that the more you can ship at once in a single vessel, the more money you save in transportation costs. Sounds pretty dull, right? Well, when you start looking at the numbers, it’s really kind of mind boggling. The amount of cargo […] The post A look at economies of scale in cargo and why it’s such an interesting deep dive appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll look at some of the ordinary things that add up to an interesting day in the region, in terms of maritime things. Winds should die down later this week, and a look at some details about ships on today’s schedule. The post A look at today’s ship schedule and marine weather appeared first on The Ship Report.

For some folks, seeing a list of ships coming in and out of the river is just that – a list. When I look at them, I see all kinds of details that I’ve learned from many conversations I’ve had over the years with career mariners in our region and beyond. I’ve soaked up what […] The post A look at the details of today’s ship schedule appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about how we can look for clues in the marine environment right in front of us, or use readily available information, to keep us safe and enjoying life as we use the river and ocean beaches. We’ll talk about some things locals know that allow them to work with, instead of against, […] The post How noticing the natural world around us makes us safer on the river and ocean beach appeared first on The Ship Report.

It’s another unseen piece of the maritime industry puzzle: how do ships get cargoes on and off. We’ll take a look at some of the most common practices.   The post A look at how the ships we see load and unload cargo appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we have a small ship schedule, and that presents two opportunities for me here: to reassure you that a day here and there with fewer ships is not a trend. It’s just what happens. And also, I have a chance to use this time to look at the ships that are here in more […] The post A close look at today’s ships and cargo appeared first on The Ship Report.

This week we’re celebrating the birthday of legendary ship captain and maritime pilot Captain Deborah Dempsey. She was a Columbia River Bar Pilot for decades here in Astoria. She sailed around the world as the master of big ships. And from her admission into the Maine Maritime Academy in the 1970s to her hiring as […] The post Happy Birthday, Captain Deb Dempsey appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today I’ll answer a couple of listener questions about what it means when ship traffic numbers are low (hint: not much on a given day), and a question about car ships and why they never seem to look different whether they have loaded or unloaded cargo (the secret decoder phrase is: ballast water).   The post Answers to listener questions about ship traffic numbers and car carriers appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today, an unusual ship alert for a unique US Coast Guard ship that we hardly ever see on the Columbia. The USCG Cutter Healy, the Guard’s largest ship and an icebreaker, has been at the Portland Vigor shipyard since January for maintenance and repairs. She heads downriver and out to sea today. We’ll talk about […] The post USCG Cutter Healy heads downriver after maintenance at the Portland Vigor shipyard appeared first on The Ship Report.

It was in the “ordinary things we take for granted that are quite important” department: the National Weather Service on Sunday suddenly did not have weather forecasts available to the public on their website, thanks to an IT issue. As they worked to fix it, we went a few hours without updated weather info. Maybe […] The post The National Weather Service website was down on Sunday. We’ll talk about what that meant for weather forecasts appeared first on The Ship Report.

Continuing the theme of ships in the anchorage this week, I thought I would share another listener question about anchored ships. It has to do with a frequent choice ships make, which is to deploy the anchor on the port side instead of the starboard side when anchoring off Astoria. It’s an interesting question with […] The post Listener question: why do ships anchored off Astoria tend to use port anchors? appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today I’ll answer a listener question about why anchored ships can look so disorganized when the tide is changing on the river. It’s a good question that involves water flow, natural systems, and reflects the complex and amazing place we live in. The post A listener question about anchored ships: Why do they sometimes look so disorganized? appeared first on The Ship Report.

Ships sitting calmly in the anchorage are actually far from still: they’re doing a slow dance around an ingenious anchor and chain system that works in strong currents, acting like a spring, to protect the ship and keep it stable. The post The amazing anchor chain appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today, an update on the ocean sensors story from last week, and a look at how wind and tide greatly affect river conditions – something to pay attention to if you’re going out in a boat. The post Update on ocean sensors, and a look at how wind and tide affect river conditions appeared first on The Ship Report.

It might seem like a ship is just moseying by on its way up or downriver, but the truth is a lot of planning and scheduling goes into the movements of every ship on the Columbia. Today we’ll talk about the factors at play, and the strategies our professionals use to keep ships, people and […] The post A look at how ships are scheduled and spaced as they transit the river appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today I’ll share a story that’s a follow-up to Monday’s program on ocean sensors. It’s about how some US senators are now responding to the news that National Science Foundation ocean sensors are being removed from our waters off Newport and Grays Harbor. And I’ll share the results of an afternoon of research, in my […] The post Follow up on ocean sensors, and a listener question about government fraud appeared first on The Ship Report.

Two local people drowned this weekend, one on the Willamette River, and one on the Columbia. Today we’ll talk about factors in our area waters that can make doing relatively normal recreational activities a life-threatening hazard. The post Local drownings highlight water hazards people encounter doing ordinary things appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about the removal of National Science Foundation Pacific Ocean data sensors off the coast of Oregon and Washington this week, a move scientists say will cripple their ability to know what’s happening in the ocean, as a record breaking El Nino is expected to hit the region this summer. The post Ocean sensors slated for removal this week off Newport and Grays Harbor appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll take a look at our glorious weather forecast with a caveat: the water in the ocean and our rivers is about as cold as cold tap water. Try it. Too cold for swimming really, but more to the point: just right for hypothermia and cold water shock. The post Warm weather coming, but cold water remains appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about a wonderful worldwide network, called AMVER (Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue), originally created by the US Coast Guard. AMVER brings together ships at sea and mariners in trouble way off shore, making far-flung rescues possible that coastal response agencies worldwide would not have the resources to handle. In this case, a man […] The post Cruise ship aids injured mariner through the AMVER rescue system appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about (and hear) some of the most familiar things we experience here on the river: rain, ships and fog horns. The post It’s a Pacific Northwest kind of week: rain, ships and fog horns appeared first on The Ship Report.

Today we’ll talk about the Rose Festival Fleet ships leaving the seawall in Portland, where they spent the weekend giving tours to visitors. They’ll depart along with another military ship, the USNS Watkins, which has been in Astoria the past few days. They are the US Navy destroyer USS Chafee, and the Canadian Navy ship […] The post Rose Festival Fleet finale, as ships head downriver and out to sea appeared first on The Ship Report.