The Ship Report

Atmospheric rivers on the way A somewhat "geeky" look at our upcoming weather, which includes one, possibly two atmospheric rivers over the next week. I'll toss around (and explain) jargony terms like IVT and QPF, specific weather metrics that PNW meteorologists use to track weather intensity in rainy climates like ours.

The Great Coastal Gale of 2007 remembered This week in 2007, a series of damaging storms walloped our region, bringing high winds, rain and flooding, causing widespread damage. This week, we're looking at the usual wet winter weather. Eighteen years ago, it was a different story... Today, we remember the Great Coastal Gale of 2007. Special thanks to Long Beach Peninsula historian Frank Lehn, f...

An Ilwaco tradition comes around again: The 19th annual Crabpot Tree lighting This Saturday at 5 pm sharp, Ilwaco will hold its 19th annual Crabpot Christmas Tree lighting. It's a chance to come together to sing and honor a community tradition. The event also also honors beloved Ilwaco community member Clint Carter, who passed this year. He wrote the Crabpot Tree Carol, which you'll hear t...

King Tides are back... We have another round of King Tides happening this week. Let's talk about what to expect, along with elevated sneaker wave risk on area beaches.

Holidays at sea It's a good time of year to talk about holidays at sea, for sailors who are often far from home.

Barges: an integral part of the chain of commerce We've seen a maritime story in the news recently about a barge that was taking on water in BC waters with containers on board. The story highlights how widely barges are used in marine commerce, although most of us don't notice they're out there, functioning as an integral part of the chain of commerce. In rural areas, they can also be...

A look at ships and cargo A look at who's on the river today, cargoes and anchorages.

A look at the weather, the ship schedule, and a note about short winter days The weather is about to do its thing again: wind, rain and elevated seas. Ships are coming and going as usual, so far. And for those feeling down about our short days, consider Utqiagvic (or Barrow), Alaska, which saw its last sunset of the year earlier this week. They'll live in darkness for 64 days until the sun ret...

Our third and final interview segment with long distance paddler Carmen Perez Today we'll hear the third and final segment of my interview with Carmen Perez, a long distance paddler who recently traveled 1200 miles in her canoe with her dog, Zuri. They traveled for two months, from the headwaters of the Columbia River in British Columbia to Clatsop Spit in Oregon, where the river meets the Pac...

More from Carmen Perez, the gal who just canoed the length of the Columbia River with her dog Today we hear more from our interview with Carmen Perez, the gal who last week ended her two-month long journey canoeing the entire length of the Columbia River, from its headwaters in British Columbia, Canada, to Clatsop Spit in Oregon. She made the trip with her loyal dog, Zuri, a border collie mix.

Carmen Perez, 22-year old solo canoeist, ends her 1200 mile journey down the Columbia Today we'll hear from Carmen Perez, a 22-year old solo long distance canoeist, who last week finished her two-month, 1200 mile solo journey (with her dog!) from the headwaters of the Columbia to Clatsop Spit.

A look at who's on the river today We've got some weather coming in, and we'll look at who's on the river today in terms of arriving and departing cargo vessels.

More weather changes, and a look at today's ship schedule We've got rain arriving and staying for the next few days. We'll also take a look at who's traveling on the river toda.y

Mighty Fitz follow up - interview with a Coast Guardsman Today, as a follow-up to yesterday's show about the sinking of the ore-carrier Edmund Fitzgerald 50 years ago on Lake Superior in 1975, we'll hear an interview with local resident Reid Johnson, who is now retired from the Coast Guard. He was 19 years old in1975, and serving on a USCG ship on Lake Huron the night the Fitz was lost in...

The 50th anniversary of the wreck of the famous Great Lakes ore carrier, the Edmund Fitzgerald Today marks 50 years since the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior on November 10, 11975 in Lake Superior. The Mighty Fitz, as she was called, was caught in the midst of a fierce storm with hurricane force winds. The ship was 17 miles from port when she was lost. All 29 members of her crew...

More weather, ships arriving, and a look at a common cargo: toluene We'll take a look at a tanker coming into Kalama, whose cargo is a liquid called toluene. We'll talk about what it is and what it's used for. Turns out we all probably have some toluene in our lives.

King Tides and weather are here King Tides are happening today, so expect high tides around midday and an atmospheric river event that will amplify hazards on beaches and in flood prone areas. Be careful out there.

King Tides FAQ We've got King Tides happening starting tomorrow through Friday this week, and you've probably heard about it if you live in our coastal region. But what does that mean really? Today we'll talk about the nuts and bolts of King Tides - a sort of "King Tides FAQ."

King Tides happening this week, plus an atmospheric river, could bring beach and flooding hazards We've got King Tides arriving later this week, around the same time as the arrival of an atmospheric river weather system. Higher than normal tides and weather effects  could mean increased beach hazards, and some inland flooding. We'll keep an eye on it.

Big atmospheric river in store next week I'm afraid it 's more weather - we'll take a look at a forecast from UW meteorologist Cliff Mass that bears watching, predicting a big atmospheric river headed our way next week.

A look at our evolving weather, and good thoughts for those in the path of Hurricane Melissa We're looking at our evolving weather, and ships traveling on the river, with a "there but for the grace of God go I" moment of humility and solidarity for those in the path of Hurricane Melissa - which is battering Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba with sustained winds of 185 mph.

Who's on the river, and what's next for the weather? Today, a look at who's traveling on the river, including tugboats and a Military Sealift Command vessel. And a look at the next round of weather headed our way.

Accurate sources for weather (marine and land-based), road and emergency info With so much misinformation flying around on social media, and more bad weather on the way this week. I thought it would be helpful to share some trusted resources you can use to keep yourself up to date with accurate weather, road and emergency info.

Stormy weather is upon us - get ready for wind and rain, and possible power outages The stormy weather we've been promised all week is arriving today - be ready for gusty winds and heavy rain. We may see interruptions in ship traffic today and through the weekend. Expect power outages.

The coastal jet is here again - a disconcerting weather quirk of our maritime environment Ship captains don't like the coastal jet much. It's a quirky local weather phenomenon that can cause the weather to get worse the closer approaching ships get to the Columbia River Bar. Today we'll hear from Capt. Thron Riggs, who spent many years as a Columbia River Bar pilot, explaining what a c...