The Ship Report

USNS Watkins, a Military Sealift Command ship, enters the river Monday Note: I'm publishing this podcast a day early because this ship will be arriving in the river around 8:30am Monday, and that's before the show airs on KMUN. This ship is a US Military Sealift Command ship, designed to be a vehicle carrier, a type of ship referred to a as RO/RO - Roll on, Roll off. She can carry tanks an...

Mariners keep working even in bad weather Yesterday we had some squalls blow through our area, bringing with them heavy rain, wind and fog. While we on land were turning our wipers on high or clutching our coats a little tighter, or just staying in, mariners were working as usual - just another day at the "office."

Who's on the river today, a bit about arriving weather, and scrap metal on the Columbia and where it goes Today we'll look at a variety of things: weather, ship traffic and cargo - specifically scrap metal which travels by ship and barge on the river.

Where exactly is the Columbia River Bar? Most locals, if asked this question, could tell you that the Columbia River Bar is where the river meets the ocean. But if you look into the particulars, where the bar is exactly depends on who's describing it. The Columbia bar is unique among river bars. So among maritime professionals the exact parameters can vary. We'll talk about it today.

What does it mean when the weather is "blowing a gale"? A look at the Beaufort Wind Scale Today in honor of our marine weather forecast, which suggests strongly that we could have gale force winds on the way, let's take another look at one of my favorites: the Beaufort Wind Scale.

Marine weather forecasts, explained (a little) I got a listener question about marine weather forecasts and why they specify the number of miles offshore the forecast covers. We'll talk about that today.

History and Hops - a Ship Report talk in Seaside on Thursday Tomorrow I'll be giving a talk at the Seaside Brewing Co. at 851 Broadway in Seaside at 6 pm. I'll be talking about a 10-day Pacific Northwest voyage at sea that I took in 2010 on a gypsum carrier sailing out of Rainier on the Columbia, up to Puget Sound and south to San Francisco. It was a pretty lifechanging event. I hope you c...

As the days grow longer - a look at the equinox and what it means Last Friday was the spring equinox, and it's evident that days are indeed getting longer. Today we'll take a look at how that all works and why the days get longer now and shorter later in the year. And when is the equinox anyway? Turns out it can change from year to year.

"Don't Let the Cat Out of the Bag" - a nautical talk about maritime lore and superstition Today's show is all about an upcoming talk at Astoria's Columbia River Maritime Museum, featuring career mariner Jason "Boats" Linnett. He'll be giving a talk at the museum on Friday, March 27th at 5:30 pm. The Museum is on Marine Drive on the waterfront at 17th Street. Tod...

The Mercy arrives Thursday morning Note: I’m posting this the night before (Wednesday evening even though it’s Thursday’s podcast), so that early birds can have the info about seeing the Mercy pass by on the river Thursday morning. Well, our much anticipated ship, the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, will cross the Columbia River Bar into the river early Thursday morning around 6 am, passing Asto...

A look at the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, arriving in the river Thursday morning A look at the USNS Mercy, the US Navy hospital ship that is arriving on the Columbia early Thursday morning. She's headed for the Swan Island shipyard in Portland for maintenance and repairs.

How ships make their way in the dark Today I'll answer a listener question about why ships seem to have so few lights on, on the exterior of the ship, when they are traveling at night. There are two main reasons: preserving night vision for the crew on the bridge so they can see what's out there, as much as possible, in diminished visibility. Also, ships have designated, legally mandated r...

A look at weather and ships, as we shoulder another atmospheric river A few basics about what happens at sea and on the river when the weather gets problematic for vessels. There can be delays - and when ships finally move again can depend on a complex mix of factors related to weather, sea state and tides.

How do ships choose what speed to travel in the river? This may seem like an obvious question (they slow down), but the answer is actually quite complex. Today we'll talk about ship speed in enclosed environments, about things like current and tides, and about some more obscure aspects of the physics of water that heavily affect ships in rivers.

Cold front could bring low land snow, gales We're looking at an unusual cold weather event through today, with cold air coming down from Alaska. That could bring inland snow, and maybe some light snow/flurries to the coast. The marine weather forecast includes the potential for gale force winds. Overall it will be a wet week - a good thing for mitigating drought and fire risk later in the year...

Honoring Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tyler Jaggers In a tragic follow up to last Thursday's show, we'll talk about the passing of Tyler Jaggers, the US Coast Guard rescue swimmer who was gravely injured in a accident in Late February. The incident happened while Jaggers and his fellow helicopter crew members were attempting to rescue a stroke victim from a bulk carrier that was operating of...

US Coast Guard rescue swimmer seriously injured in offshore accident A US Coast Guard rescue swimmer was seriously injured in an accident during the course of a rescue mission last Friday. As of earlier this week, he was on life support in a British Columbia hospital. We'll talk about the important role rescue swimmers and all Coast Guard personnel play in keeping us safe in challenging condit...

How winds spin in weather systems I learned something interesting the other day - that winds spin differently in different kinds of weather systems. It has to do with the Coriolis Effect and air pressure. An interesting look at "how things work" in weather.

A look at what makes an outbound ship seem different Today we'll look at the ship schedule and talk about why outbound ships can look so different you might think it's another kind of vessel altogether. Also, a look at tides and the moon - and a lunar eclipse.

Why you should never go between a tug and a barge at sea Today we'll do a quick debrief on this past weekend's 29th annual Fisher Poets Gathering, and then we`ll address an important maritime issue that can be a matter of life or death: why you should never get between a tug and its tow at sea, or on the river.

A look at life in the US Coast Guard Today we'll hear more from my interview with Len Tumbarello, who is currently the executive director of the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots. Earlier in his life, he spent 28 years in the US Coast Guard, a career he really loved. Today we'll talk about what a career in the Coast Guard can be like.

Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots - Part 3 Today we hear Part 3 of my interview with Len Tumbarello, executive director of the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots. We're talking about pilot risk, which comes in many forms. Pilots are a lot like first responders, in that they have to be ready for the unexpected at all times and be ready to respond in a timely and effective manner, sometimes at great...

Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots - Part 2 Today we continue listening to excerpts from an interview I did recently with Len Tumbarello, executive director of the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots, the public body that oversees operations for the Columbia River Bar and River Pilot organizations, as well as maritime pilots in Coos Bar and Newport.

Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots, Part 1 I'll be away this week for a little time off, and I'll be featuring excerpts this week on the show from a recent interview I did with Len Tumbarello, executive director of the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots. We'll be taking a look at this vital organization and talking about a subset of the maritime industry that passes by our doors daily here o...

Snow in the forecast again through Thursday morning We'll see what transpires... the forecast calls for snow above 500 feet. For coastal snow lovers, maybe some pretty flurries. Inland, expect some driving challenges in the morning.