Author Archives: captnmike

Fascinating Engineering Facts About the RMS Titanic

Posted on February 13, 2015 by captnmike

A fascinating video on the RMS Titanic and the Olympic-Class ships by Bill “Engineer Guy” Hannack.  The images and information is from the 1909 to 1911 editions of the Journal The Engineer.  The video starts with the laying of the … Continue reading →

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Anchor Hitch

Posted on February 4, 2015 by captnmike

The Anchor Hitch is a great knot for conditions that alternate between loaded and unloaded such as an anchor rode or where the end of a line might be flapping around. The Anchor Hitch is a bit more difficult to … Continue reading →

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

So you want to chart an artificial reef?

Posted on January 28, 2015 by captnmike

There are literally millions of pieces of data on nautical charts. How do cartographers determine which data to put on the charts? Two Coast Survey cartographers, Paul Gionis and Lance Roddy, explained some of the processes, protocols, and NOAA charting…

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Free 2015 Coast Guard Light List

Posted on January 22, 2015 by captnmike

The U.S. Coast Guard has just released the 2015 Light Lists in PDF format for all volumes except Volume V (Volume V is only published in even years).  The Light List Volumes are available as a free download or in … Continue reading →

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New ACR Firefly Pro Series Rescue Strobe Light

Posted on January 20, 2015 by captnmike

ACR has finally came out with a worthy successor to the classic Firefly Rescue Lite ACR / 4F.  The ACR Firefly PRO Series is Brighter, flashes longer and has more functions (Strobe, Flashlight, SOS) than the 4F model.  I found … Continue reading →

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Why Whale Poo & Dead Whales Are Good For You & The Oceans

Posted on January 18, 2015 by captnmike

Left out of many discussions about whales and other animals is the effect they have on the health of the ecosystem and how we are all dependent on each other. Wolves in Yellowstone give healthier forests.  Streams that have hatchery … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety | Tagged , | 1 Comment

2014 in review

Posted on December 29, 2014 by captnmike

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. A note on the where traffic comes from – most of the traffic here comes from search engines, several times the listed referrals. Here’s an excerpt: The … Continue reading →

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Coast Survey’s little known role in the case of the Amistad

Posted on November 18, 2014 by captnmike

Coast Survey Brig Washington Lt. Thomas R. Gedney, a U.S. Navy officer commanding the U.S. Coast Survey Brig Washington on August 20, 1839, was surveying the area between New York’s Montauk Point and Gardiner’s Island. He “discovered a strange and…

Posted in Boating Safety | 1 Comment