Category Archives: Worth Reading

Jeff MacFarlane’s Rough Road to 203 Mini Transat

Jeffrey Macfarlane, 31, grew up in Michigan then spent over a decade in offshore racing, with a long stretch in Australia on boats like the well-known maxi Wild Oats. In 2012, he crossed the Atlantic twice, on the Open 60, … Continue reading

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Columbia River Lightship and Buoy Back on View

The entrance to the Columbia River was the site of the first lightship on the west coast in 1872, and the final version (WLV-604) was also the last to be retired in 1979, after 28 years of service. The hull … Continue reading

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2019: Kitsap County’s Ferry Is First Hybrid

When it comes to catamaran ferries, Washington’s boat builders lead the nation! Operators in Hawaii, California, and Alaska rely on our experienced commercial yards to provide them with the latest fast ferry designs from the world’s leading naval architects. During … Continue reading

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2020: NW Fast Ferry Launches

Mavrik to Build Second Fast Ferry for WETAThe San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) has exercised its option for a second 300-passenger high-speed ferry from Mavrik Marine of LaConner, Washington at a base price of $14.8 million. … Continue reading

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Foiling Survey Boats Keep Grain Ships Moving on Columbia River

For the last year, the west coast shipping news has been dominated by the huge fleet of container ships waiting to unload Asian imports in southern California, but the media spotlight may soon turn to a very different cargo—American wheat … Continue reading

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Drake in Oregon? The Mystery Continues……

 Hardly a year goes by without a reconstruction of a historic sailing ship visiting the Columbia River. The Lady Washington is a frequent visitor, but I can also recall going on board Captain Cook’s Endeavour, and even meeting Captain Bligh … Continue reading

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Polar Research Schooner Tara Visits Astoria

It was back in July 2018 in the heart of the summer on the lower Columbia River when I spotted a big schooner-rigged sailing vessel at the East Mooring Basin in Astoria. From a distance, I could see it was … Continue reading

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Solo Canoeist Neal Moore Crosses America

On March 1, 2019– the day after the splendidly rowdy and irreverent Fisher Poets Gathering brought a hundred or so characters to the Hanthorn Cannery Museum in Astoria–another story teller showed up at the museum on Pier 39 at the … Continue reading

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Taki-Tooo, Sydney Mae II Tragedies Still Haunt Oregon’s Charter Fishing Business

2003: Wreck of the Taki Tooo on the Tillamook Bar If you’ve ever visited the NW coast, you must have seen the charter sportfishing boats lined up at the dock surrounded by enticing signs and banners showing happy customers posing … Continue reading

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Cleveland Rockwell–NW Coast Surveyor & Artist

Cleveland Rockwell had a successful 19th-century career in the military and the federal Coastal Survey. Educated as a cartographer and mechanical engineer, Rockwell started his professional life with the U.S. Coastal Survey, collecting survey data and drawing maps. In 1861, … Continue reading

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