Posts published in “August 2025”
Exploring the beach this past winter, I came upon parts of a mid-19th-century wreck at Jones Beach. While researching the wreck of the Montezuma off Long Island’s famous Jones Beach on May 18th, 1852. I became intrigued by the fact that this ship was built…
In 1873, Captain Sidney Buddington of Groton, Connecticut, took part in America’s first attempt to reach the North Pole. The expedition was led by the explorer Charles Francis Hall. Captain Budington came highly recommended as he was the nephew of Captain James Monroe, who, years…
Boating on the beautiful clear waters of Lake Champlain it is hard to imagine that beneath the often sunlit sparking surface with its majestic background there lurking several invasive species that if left unchecked would devastate the ecosystem of this vast body of water. And…
Ships have traditionally used ballast at the bottom of vessels to maintain their stability. The early forms of ballast included stones, gravel, sand, iron and eventually water. As a ship approached its destination, its hard ballast was unloaded to avoid possible grounding in the harbor’s…
USS Cairo is considered the lead ship of the city-class casemate ironclads. It was built at the start of the Civil War, and served as river gunboats. The name Cairo was named for Cairo, Illinois. She captured the Confederate garrison of Fort Pillow along the…
In my June article (Looking Back), I wrote about a boat show I attended with my father back in the late sixties or early seventies. There was one particular boat that I saw, which left a lasting impression. It was a Tollycraft sport fishing boat.…
It’s gonna’ be a hot day, what better way to get cool than to step aboard and feel the cool breeze as you speed across the water. Well, not quite! If you’ve never given any thought to dangers of boating in hot weather and exposure…
It’s seriously upsetting that time flies by so fast – it seems summer had just begun and now we’re in August. I had toyed with buying myself a kayak or paddleboard this summer, as I have never owned a boat or anything to go out…
Deep summer in New England. Hydrangeas are popping, beach and lake shores are packed with locals and vacationers alike. Lobster rolls and ice cream cones are acceptable at any meal. We look around at all of the green and find it hard to imagine that…