Author Archives: captnmike

Building an Aids to Navigation Demonstration Display

Posted on December 11, 2016

This is an Aids To Navigation (ATON) display demonstration board I made, there are flashing LED’s to demonstrate selected ATON’s in the Elliot Bay area around Seattle Washington. There are 27 Aids represented from just south of the Alki Lighthouse … Continue reading →

Posted in Boating Safety, Navigation, Sailing and Boating Skills | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

A monumental history

Posted on September 27, 2016

On September 15, 2016, President Obama designated the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean. The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument includes two areas: one that includes four undersea mountains, called “seamounts” – Bear, Mytilus, Physalia, and…

Posted in Boating Safety | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Boating Safety

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 →

Posted in Boating Safety | Tagged ,

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