The Ship Report

The Ship Report, Thursday, October 29. 2026 Ships are cool to look at, but why are they here? The short answer: cargo and the Columbia Snake River System Today we'll look at the cargo end of things. It's the reason why ships are here. We'll also talk about tugs and barges, which are an essential part of our chain of  commerce on the river. They all operate on the federal waterway that...

The Ship Report, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 The Doldrums: why Oliver Widger isn't going anywhere fast right now as he nears the Equator Today, a look at the Doldrums, a region near the Equator in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans where the wind suddenly dies. People are seeing the Doldrums in real time as they follow the journey of Oregon solo sailor Oliver Widger, whose boat has been becalmed...

The Ship Report, Tuesday, October 27, 2026 Newport Pacific Seafood fire destroys freezer facility A fire on Sunday at Pacific Seafood in Newport, Oregon, destroyed a freezer building and prompted evacuation orders in the area around the company's facilities on the waterfront on Yaquina Bay. While no employees were injured and the company was back in operation on Monday, it's unclear that t...

The Ship Report, Monday, October 26, 2026 A change in the weather - it's rain and that's good news We've got a bit of a change in the weather - rainy all week is what's predicted. This is good news on many fronts: for one, we need the moisture. But second, it could signal a trend that our Pacific Northwest El Nino weather pattern could include abundant rain instead of drought. That...

The Ship Report, Thursday, October 22, 2026 A look at who's coming and going on the river today Today we'll dive into the ship schedule for the day, some interesting details about vessels coming and going.

The Ship Report, Wednesday, October 21, 2026 More on ships fueling here in Astoria I got some great additional info I'd like to share about fueling ships locally. I learned that while car carriers fueling up here are indeed a rarity, bulk carriers do on occasion come into the river to get fuel before they move on. We'll talk about today's vessels, and a bit about marine weather (includ...

The Ship Report, Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Marine weather and what it can tell you, and a look at an unusual vessel that's been in Astoria for about a month Even though we aren't seeing much rain in our region (yet) we are seeing other changes that show us the seasons are shifting and fall is here. Some of that information can be found in marine weather forecasts, and in other info that NO...

The Ship Report, Monday, October 19, 2026 A car ship stopped by in the Astoria Anchorage over the weekend... This turned out to be an interesting story: First of all, the ships in our anchorages here off Astoria tend to be bulk carriers. Occasionally maybe a car ship if they are having mechanical issues. But this ship stopped by for the sole purpose of getting fuel. Unusual, and a good opportunity...

The Ship Report, Thursday, October 15, 2026 Oliver Widger is the Oregon man who is currently sailing south off Mexico, intending to sail alone, on a sailboat named after his cat, around the world. His story is inspiring, an "everyman" dream. It's also important to note that he has had, and continues to have, really expert help making this happen. As a relatively new sailor, he's...

The Ship Report, Wednesday, October 14, 2026 Our typical fall pattern this week, of more rain inserting itself into the forecast, alternating with sunshine. Sea heights will rise next week. Autumn continues as planned.

The Ship Report, Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Scientists are saying we are in for an intense El Nino period this winter. But what does that mean - what is El Nino, and its close relative, La Nina? And how will it affect conditions in the Pacific Northwest, in particular? Today we'll take a look at that.

The Ship Report, Monday, October 12, 2026 Let's take a look at who is on the river today and what kind of weather they'll be dealing with.

The Ship Report, Thursday, October 8, 2026 What's in store for the weekend with marine weather? We'll take a look, and check out ships coming and going on the river.

The Ship Report, Wednesday, October 7, 2026 Today I'll share some advice from our Coast Guard personnel here locally, about the approaching PNW heavy weather season, and what you should look out for if you are boating and on the seashore.

The Ship Report, Tuesday, October 6, 2026 Today's show is a bit of a potpourri, a little of this and that: I'll be answering a question about the hospital ship USNS Mercy (yes, she's still in Portland), a look at our ship schedule, and solo circumnavigator Oliver Widger is making his way down the West Coast. He fixed a freshwater leak in one of his water tanks and is good to go, sailin...

The Ship Report: Monday, October 5, 2026 I’ve been on a bit of a tear about solo sailor Oliver Widger the past few days, and have been sharing a lot of info on Facebook, as he departed from Neah Bay headed around the world alone. He plans to sail nonstop, and end his voyage where he started, after months at sea by himself. There’s been lots of discussion on my Facebook Ship Report page about him,...

The Ship Report, Thursday, October 1, 2026 You may have heard of Oliver Widger. He's the intrepid Portland man who, after getting a life-changing medical diagnosis, sold most everything, bought a boat, and sailed to Hawaii with his cat. This week he's beginning another adventure: sailing around the world alone, unassisted and without stopping. He leaves from Port Townsend Friday morning.

The Ship Report, Wednesday, September 30, 2026 This week we've seen some interesting ships in our Astoria anchorage, with gear we don't normally see on an average day. We'll talk about that and also take a look at ship traffic and our marine weather. Spoiler alert: the weather's looking awfully good.

The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 29, 2026 In this final segment of my interview series featuring round-the-world racing sailor Heidi Brown, we learn about how injuries are handled aboard a racing yacht, when a crew member was seriously injured as they raced through the notoriously stormy Bay of Biscay, off Spain and France.

The Ship Report, Monday, September 28, 2026 Today we'll hear more from my interview with Heidi Brown, the Astoria woman who returned this summer from sailing in the Clipper Round the World Race. She spent almost a year at sea on a boat with a crew of about 20 people, going from port to port on separate legs of the race, during which some crew members departed and others joined, but Heidi staye...

The Ship Report, Thursday, September 24, 2026 This week I've been talking with sailor Heidi Brown about her 40,000 mile round the world experience as a crew member in the Clipper Round the World race. Today is Part 4.

The Ship Report, Wednesday, September 23, 2026 Astoria resident Heidi Brown recently completed a 40,000 mile round the world race on a 70 foot yacht with about 20 crewmates. This week I'm talking with her about that. Today is Part 3.

The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 22, 2026 Astoria resident Heidi Brown recently sailed 40,000 miles in the Clipper Round the World Race. This week I talk with her about it. Today is Part 2.

The Ship Report, Monday, September 21, 2026 Astoria resident Heidi Brown recently returned from participating in the Clipper Round the World Race, sailing for almost a year on a 70 foot yacht, with about 20 people she'd never met before the race. This week we'll talk with her about that experience. Today is Part 1.

The Ship Report, Thursday, September 17, 2026 A listener asked me about what dew point is, and in the process of checking into it, I also learned about relative humidity. These two terms, which appear in most weather reports, have to do with water vapor in the air and are actually quite important measurements for people in some professions to know.