Author Archives: captnmike

NOAA’s Secret Weather Sites

Posted on August 5, 2016

Most sailors in the Seattle area are familiar with the West Point and Seattle NOAA weather sites on the internet. But did you know that those sites are only the tip of the iceberg so to speak of the over … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Sailing and Boating Skills | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

How Maritime Law Works- A Video Primer For Non-Lawyers

Posted on July 28, 2016

This is a short video on Maritime Law.  The video is a short overview of Maritime Law for non-lawyers.  It covers things like what country is a baby born a citizen of, short hint, in some cases the baby is … Continue reading →

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Life Jackets Work!! But Only If You Wear It

Posted on July 25, 2016

Last Saturday as we were putting out the fenders at the end of the sail, I heard a splash followed by a couple of expletive deleted words, a quick look around the boat indicated we were short one crew member. … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Safety Thoughts | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Video: Four and a Half Minutes of French Lighthouses in Terrifying Storms

Posted on July 18, 2016

An amazing Four and a Half minute video showing the power and terror of the ocean and the lighthouses that stand to protect mariners. The Lighthouses in the video are identified as being in the  Iroise Sea in Brittany on … Continue reading →

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The Seattle Harbor Patrol – From 1877 To The Present

Posted on July 5, 2016

The Seattle Harbor Patrol traces it’s ancestory back to 1877 when the Harbor Department was established.  It was ran by the Port Warden an elected official. In 1912 they had one boat. This is a nice video tracing the history … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, History, seattle | Tagged | 3 Comments

The View From The Fremont Drawbridge Tower – The Bridge Operators Perspective

Posted on June 16, 2016

Recently I had a chance to visit the Bridge Operator Tower on the Fremont Bridge and talk with some operators about the challenges they face daily balancing the needs of vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists and vessels (both recreational and commercial).  I … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Safety Thoughts, seattle | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Beta test of crowdsourced bathymetry holds promise for improving U.S. nautical charts

Posted on June 14, 2016

Originally posted on NOAA COAST SURVEY:
We are on the verge of acquiring a significant new source of data to improve NOAA nautical charts, thanks to an enthusiastic industry and mariners equipped with new technology. By Lt. Adam Reed, Integrated Oceans and Coastal…

Posted in Boating Safety | 2 Comments

Video: How to Launch a Sailboat Like a Boss

Posted on June 10, 2016

This has to be one of the best how to launch a sailboat videos around, no big errors just the coolest quickest and smoothest launch ever. This video was made for AV-OG-TIL, a Norwegian NGO, working to reduce the harmful … Continue reading →

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