Searching for Shackleton’s Endurance: The Antarctic Wreck and the Endurance22 Expedition Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition and the crushing of his ship, Endurance, remain among the most compelling survival stories in polar exploration. What began as an attempt to cross the Antarctic continent turned into a legendary struggle for life after the ship was … Read more

Dispute Over Alleged Discovery of Captain Cook’s HMB Endeavour at Newport Harbor A heated disagreement has emerged between maritime researchers after the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) announced that a shipwreck in Newport Harbor is the long-sought HMB Endeavour, the vessel commanded by Captain James Cook on his first Pacific voyage. The declaration was immediately … Read more

Cruising Club of America Awards 2021 Blue Water Medal to Ginger and Peter Niemann The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has named Ginger and Peter Niemann of Washington state the recipients of the 2021 Blue Water Medal in recognition of two remarkable sailing circumnavigations. Their voyages took them to the high latitudes, including separate westward … Read more

Futuristic Sky Yacht Concept Promises Air and Sea Travel in One Carbon-Fiber Vessel A dramatic new travel concept could blur the lines between yacht and aircraft: a 500-foot “sky yacht” designed through a collaboration between Italian designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini and a private German investor. The project envisions a hybrid vessel capable of operating both above … Read more

Pure Watercraft and GM Introduce an Electric Pontoon Boat General Motors’ minority investment in Pure Watercraft has moved quickly from announcement to product. After GM acquired a 25 percent stake in the electric outboard maker, the collaboration produced its first branded boat: the Pure Watercraft Electric Pontoon Boat, revealed at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show … Read more

33-Foot “Sea Dragon” Fossil Unearthed at Rutland Water A 33-foot-long marine reptile fossil, described in the press as a “sea dragon,” was discovered in a drained lagoon in Britain. Scientists have identified the specimen as Temnodontosaurus trigonodont, a species that lived roughly 180 million years ago during the early Jurassic, at a time when dinosaurs … Read more

How a Seattle Couple Turned a Pandemic Quarantine into a Liveaboard Adventure Heather Brewer and Paul Bultema, both based in Seattle, Washington, met on the dating app Bumble in March 2020. Heather noticed Paul’s profile right away—he had visited 91 countries, while she had seen 72—and she liked the idea of traveling with someone equally … Read more

Cousteau’s 1972–1973 Antarctic Expedition Aboard Calypso In 1973, legendary French explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau was concluding a four-month scientific and film expedition to Antarctica aboard the 141-foot research vessel Calypso, a former British Royal Navy minesweeper converted for oceanographic work. Departing Marseille in September 1972, the expedition combined scientific observation, wildlife study and pioneering cinematography to … Read more

Pilot Whales Off Great Round Shoal Lightship, Vineyard Sound — A Maritime Painting by William Davis On a choppy day in Vineyard Sound, two sailors make their way past the Great Round Shoal lightship, one of the distinctive light vessels that appeared in the 19th century to mark safe passages through the sound during seasons … Read more

Antigua’s Varnishers: Caribbean Craftsmanship at Work in Newport Every winter, yachts from around the world migrate to the warm Caribbean, drawn by favorable weather and a mature service infrastructure. Owners use the season to repair and refresh their vessels—and few tasks receive as much attention as brightwork. Antigua, long regarded by many as the “Varnishing … Read more