The Ship Report

National Data Buoy Center - an important local buoy gets repaired and put back in service Today we'll talk about our local National Data Buoy Center buoy, 46029, which was returned to service in June, 20 miles off the mouth of the Columbia River in the Pacific. This important data buoy had been out of service since last fall. Today we'll talk with NDBC adminstrator Craig Kohler about the b...

National Data Buoy Center - valuable local resource and worldwide agency Today we'll begin hearing excerpts from my interview with Craig Kohler, operations branch chief for the National Data Buoy Center. NDBC maintains a network of buoys in US coastal waters and in other places in the world, that transmit weather and climate data to satelites. We have NDBC buoys in our coastal waters including...

A look at ship traffic, and - hot weather is about to arrive Today we'll take a look at ship traffic on the river, and at the predictions for our upcoming holiday weekend heat wave. I'll be taking the long holiday weekend to regroup a little from the exhausing but wonderful process of finally launching my boat (see yeastserday's podcast.) So after today, I'll see you all again Mond...

Passage, afloat again at last Many of you have asked me about my boat, Passage, a long term restoration project I started 16 years ago with my dad. Friday she was launched and is doing fine. Here's a bit of her (and my) story. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript070224.pdf

A look at one of Astoria's old hometown ships: where is the USCGC Alert now? Earlier this year, the USCGC Alert, a Coast Guard ship that had been in Astoria for decades, was reassigned and replaced by a brand new cutter, the USCGC David Duren, which is now in Astoria. Today we take a look at where the Alert is now... she's got a new home on the East Coast (a region she was first assigned t...

Rogue Waves Today, a look back in the Ship Report srchives at an interview about rogue waves with Capt. Deborah Dempsey and Terry Wilson - both dear friends of mine. This interview is especially poignant, since Terry is no longer with us. Today we'll learn about rogue waves from two mariners who have each experienced them at sea. Show transcript: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscrip...

Part two of the Sinking of the Meteor: a gem from the archives Today we'll hear part 2 of the true story of the sinking of the commercial fishing boat Meteor, on the Columbia River Bar in the 1970s, as told by former fisherman Michael McCusker. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript062724

A gem from the archives: the sinking of the Meteor I need to take the next few days off, and so we'll hear a few shows from the Ship Report archives. The two part show that you'll hear today and tomorrow is a listener favorite: the true story of the sinking of the commercial fishing boat Meteor on the Columbia River Bar, told as no one else can by Michael McCusker. You can hear Michael Thu...

Getting around on the river Today we'll take a look at what factors affect how long it takes a ship to get from one place to another, on the ocean and on the river. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript062524.pdf

Who's on the river? Today we'll take a look at today's ship schedule, including a Canadian tug with an unusual destination. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript062424.pdf

The Panama Canal Today we have a ship arriving from France, which means she likely traveled through the Panama Canal. We'll talk about that historic waterway, its problems with drought in recent years. and how a coming La Nina climate trend might help alleviate that. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript062124,pdf

Buoys in the 'hood Today I thought we'd talk about some of the most ever-present and often ignored (by people on land) things in our river neighborhood - and that's navigational buoys. Vital for mariners, they sit in the water day and night doing their work, making the watery highway safe for travel. Each buoy is unique, by color, numbers and sound, and they have lights so they can be...

Research vessel Atlantis visits Astoria There's a very special ship at the Port of Astoria right now: the research vessel Atlantis is at the dock, taking a temporary break from her research work in the Pacific Ocean. Such vessels often stop into Astoria because we are conveniently near the ocean, to get supplies and change crews. The Atlantis is a famous ship, espeically known for the submersi...

Interesting river anomalies Today we'll take a look at a couple of interesting natural occurences on the river that can pose challenges for boaters: whitecaps and eddies. A glimpse at our profound natural world in action, right at our watery doorstep. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript061724.pdf

Ship mystery solved: what was all that smoke? A listener contacted me and sent me a video to ask about huge quantity of smoke spewing from a passing container ship. The situation did indeed look rather dire, with lots of smoke billowing in the air. Turns out this situation was not an emergency, but was instead white steam from the ship's scrubbers. We'll talk about what that means, why som...

Nehalem River canoeing death highlights an overlooked aspect of water safety The death of a canoist on the Nehalem River last week offers a good reason to talk about water safety in a different way. Most people think the water dangers here are on the coast: the beach with its sneaker waves and rip currents, the Columbia River Bar, and the river's cold water and strong tides. But equally danger...

More on wildlife rehab: what's the success rate when saving oil-soaked birds? Today we hear Part 2 of my interview with Ginger Nealon, wildlife rehabilitation coordinator for the Wildlife Center of the North Coast, based in Olney, Oregon. They've been helping oil-soaked birds that were injured in a recent oil spill. Today we'll talk about how successful such efforts are, what you can d...

A look at wildlife rehabilitation, as experts try to save birds from a coast oil spill Today we'll hear part one of a two-part interview with Ginger Nealon, wildife rehabilitation coordinator for the Wildlife Center of the North Coast. The center, in Olney, Oregon, helps injured wildlife recover, often from enounters with humans. Their latest patients are oil-soaked birds, injured in a recent...

The Rose Festival Fleet departs Portland After a visit for tours on the Willamette River waterfront, as part of the annual Portland Rose Festival, the Rose Festival Fleet will be heading downriver today. Look for the USS Montgomery, the HMCS Yellowknife and HMCS Edmunton heading dowriver today, leaving between 9 and 10:30 am. It looks like the USS Montgomery will stop at the Port of Astoria, while...

A look at ships and cargo Today a look at who's on the river, and some cargoes - such as: what's toluene? Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript060724.pdf

The Astoria anchorage can be a refuge for ships While most ships anchored off Astoria in the river are waiting to load cargo, it can be a blessing for a ship with mechanical problems, as happened recently. A ship in need of repairs can wait there until a fix is complete, wait for ordered parts, or be in easy access for expert help. Far from the turbulence of the open ocean. Astoria as a harbor off...

The Rose Festival Fleet heads upriver It's Wednesday of Rose Festival Week, and the fleet is heading upriver to join the festivities. Today, ship watchers on the river between Astoria and Portland will see four military ships traveling: One US Navy ship, two Canadian Navy ships, and one USCG cutter. All ships will leave Astoria in the morning and arrive in Portland sometime in the afternoon. T...

The Rose Festival Fleet This year's arriving Rose Festival Fleet ships will all be in Astoria today, and you'll have a chance to take a tour of a ship at the dock. We'll talk about US and Canadian military ships stopping in Astoria before they head upriver to Portland for the annual Rose Festival there. Show Transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript060424.pdf

Vessel strike suspected in Nehalem whale death The necropsy results are out for the dead whale that washed up on the beach in Manzanita: bruising and internal bleeding suggest the whale died from a vessel strike. We'll talk about this unfortunately not uncommon cause of whale death on the West Coast, and about some measures taken along the coast of California to route ships away from areas whe...

Atmospheric rivers coming our way late this weekend We've got a couple of atmospheric rivers headed our way beginning Sunday that could bring inches of rain to our region. We'll see what develops and talk about what forecasters are predicting. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript053124.pdf