The Ship Report

The Polar Star is home from Antarctica, a sign of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in Antarctica We see many signs of fall in the Pacific Northwest, as cruise ships head south. One beloved ship, the icebreaker USCGC Polar Star, heads north to Seattle to prepare for another round of her annual mission: Operation Deep Freeze, where she breaks a navigable channel through pack ice to open Mc...

Who's on the river today? A look at today's ship traffic, and a change in the weather coming this weekend.

On any given day, there's a lot going on upriver with vessels that downriver folk don't see The Columbia River is a busy water highway, with lots of vessels working, many of them upriver in places that folks near Astoria and even upriver in Portland and Vancouver, don't see. Today we'll talk about some of what happens as vessels do their work upriver.

The research vessel Atlantis is at the Port of Astoria One of my favorite ships is here in town: the research vessel Atlantis. She's owned by the US Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, located on Cape Cod. She's been doing research on underwater volcanoes in the Pacific in recent years. She comes into Astoria occasionally to change crews, pick up supplies, etc. S...

Cruise ship pollution and beyond - a look at effluent treatment and handling, at sea and on land. A listener raised an issue about cruise ships and the pollution they create, so I thought I'd explore that topic today. As I was gathering info, I started looking at how sewage is treated both on land and at sea. Turns out, while wastewater treatment is a lifesaver, we are a planet filled with peo...

The Coastal Jet: an interesting weather phenomenon we could see here this weekend Today we'll talk more about the weather, which is in for a change this weekend, and about an unusual meteorological phenomenon we could see called the coastal jet that happens from time to time here. It causes winds along the coast to speed up, sometimes dramatically, while winds offshore can be much calmer.

Salt water wedge: a an interesting feature of the Columbia River estuary Today we'll talk about one of the most fascinating aspects of the lower river: the presence of a massive salt water wedge that occurs when the tide is rising, as heavier salt water sinks beneath fresh river water.

New moons, tides, solar eclipses - all part of our cyclic natural world The next two weeks are packed with astronomical happenings: a new moon, a solar eclipse, and the autumnal equinox. We'll talk about them in the context of our natural maritime world, where life continues in habitual patterns that play out in tides, moon cycles and waning daylight at this time of year. And, our coastal weat...

Serenade of the Seas visits Astoria on a repositioning cruise This morning we'll see the Serenade of the Seas, a big, blue-water cruise ship that will be docked at the Port of Astoria all day. She's on her way back down south for the winter, having stopped here in May when she was headed north for a summer of cruises in the Puget Sound region and perhaps Alaska. Astoria's cruise ships...

A bit about the weather, a solo sailor, ships and... a touch of pneumonia... Apologies for my absence from this platform last week. I was diagnosed with pneumonia a week ago Sunday, and this week has been spent getting enough strength back to sit at my computer. Glad to feel well enough for that! I was flat out on the couch last week, but I'm glad to be back, though I'm moving slowly. Look...

More about ships and cargo on the river today A snapshot of who's on the river today, and a bit about anomalies in the ship schedule, and a look at one cargo ship that's arriving today that isn't handling any cargo at all.

Who's on the river today? A look at today's ship schedule, with details about various about ships, protocols and cargo.

New pilot boat on the river We've got a new pilot boat operating on the Astoria waterfront these days. She's called the "Swift" and she's a new addition to the local fleet. Today we'll talk about her and also about pilot boats in general: a very unusual breed of vessel.

Meteorological fall, happening now in a hemisphere near you Yesterday, September 1, marked the beginning of meteorological fall in the Northern Hemisphere. It's a great time of year to discuss the difference between the two falls: meteorological and astronomical.

From the Ship Report Archives: Running Lights A look back at an interview about ship running lights, the lights that we see at night on ships as they pass by or are anchored in the river.

From the Ship Report Archives: a look at car ships, Part 4 This week I'm taking a break from the show and sharing a great interview with now retired Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Robert Johnson. He shares fascinating details about a type of ship that we often see on the Columbia.

From the Ship Report Archives: a look at car ships, Part 3 This week I'm taking a break from the show and sharing a great interview with now retired Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Robert Johnson. He shares fascinating details about a type of ship that we often see on the Columbia.

From the Ship Report Archives: a look at car ships, Part 2 This week I'm taking a break from the show and sharing a great interview with now retired Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Robert Johnson. He shares fascinating details about a type of ship that we often see on the Columbia.

From the Ship Report Archives: a look at car ships This week I'm taking a break from the show and sharing a great interview with now retired Columbia River Bar Pilot Capt. Robert Johnson. He shares fascinating details about a type of ship that we often see on the Columbia.

The Beaufort Wind Scale Around this time of year, as fall winds make their presence known with the change of the seasons, it's a good time to talk about one of my favorite subjects: the Beaufort Wind Scale. It dates back to the 1800s but is still used today. You can use it to tell how hard the wind is blowing by looking at the effects on the environment around you, on land or sea.

Fall is in the air A look at marine weather today, and about how the distinct feeling of fall is in the air - a sign that some of our loveliest days of the year are still to come.

More about cargo Today we have a whole new set of ships with different cargoes on board, so another chance to talk in more depth about what they are carrying.

Who's on the river today and what cargoes are they carrying? Today we'll look at today's ship schedule with a twist: a look at the cargoes these ships are handling here. What they are, where they come from and how they fit into the chain of commerce on the mighty Columbia River.

Who's on the river today? A look at what ships are traveling on the river today, and a bit about ballast water, an important factor in ship transits.

A gem from the Ship Report archives: Interview with a rescue swimmer There are heroes among us - and we usually don't see them. USCG rescue swimmers go out in terrible conditions at sea to save lives, as part of highly trained rescue helicopter crews. Today, from the Ship Report Archives, we'll hear an excerpt from a 2009 interview with a rescue swimmer at Air Station Astoria.