Legend has it the first time Vikings came to North America they were driven away by irate natives, called skrælings by the Norse. Now more than 1,000 years later it’s the U.S. Coast Guard who are handling the job, wielding regulations rather than weapons. This time the Viking raiders, who’ve come from Norway on the...

The time has come for Lucy and I to wreak our revenge. We were quite competitive in our Melonseed Skiff in last year’s Round Island Regatta (see image up top), but were denied our rightful second-place finish (not that there was a trophy to win or anything) by the incompetent race committee, who sent us...

For reasons we’ll go into later I’ve decided the time has come to part ways with Lunacy, which I’ve now owned for 10 years. Not exactly an easy decision, as she is a fantastic boat--strong as all get-out, fast, with an easy motion in a seaway. Those of you who follow the blog should know...

Here’s an interesting mishap that took place mere footsteps from my home here in Portsmouth while I was off roaming the Maine coast last week. A 477-foot tanker, Chem Venus, was exiting the Piscataqua River late Wednesday afternoon with two tugs in attendance and missed the turn at Seavey Island, where the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard...

There were some suggestions after I introduced Baxter here that I needed to get him a life-jacket. I knew this, of course, and wanted one as much for the handle on the back, so I could heave the beast more easily in and out of a tender, as for the flotation. You see him here,...