About
WELCOME TO THE MARINERS’ PACIFIC COAST BLOG PORT
These are the Pacific Coast Tide and Current pages.This is a place for master mariners to share their tales and techniques relating to the many difficult passages and river currents along the west coast of North America.
The initial stories are my tribute to the mariners who take the working vessels of our coast through its amazingly beautiful but often challenging and even dangerous waterways. At the same time the stories here are only a small contribution to the wheelhouse chatter that passes a long night watch. In this virtual wheelhouse there is unlimited space for your accounts of passages made and vessel conned along this coast.
At the end of each of the 38 passages described in the seven chapters here, there is a space for you to add your comment or extended account along with photos if you choose. Follow the simple instructions to register and make your submission. Do it as often as you want from onboard or at home, wherever you have an internet connection.
For recent blog posts see Ron Fearn’s good posting on the recent incident in the Skookumchuck. I have just returned from a couple of days travel up to Middle Point to bring a loaded coal barge back to the Fraser River. My very experienced skipper wondered why the abort system was not used in that incident. It will be interesting to hear other mariners observations.
Watching the log of visits to this site I am impressed with the geographic diversity of the visitors and am constantly curious about their/your thoughts and marine knowledge. I look forward to hearing from more of you.
Increasingly digital imagery is making it easier to share images of great sunsets, iced rails, storm tossed or serene seas and ships that pass. You are invited to upload these to the “Mariners’ Gallery” section of this blog port which can become a virtual galley table around which images are shared. Recent postings by mariners include some amazing new shots of Crowley tug escorts in Puget Sound. With the Miki tugs all but gone from our coasts the Invader class rules for beauty and just plain classy looks. Thanks also to the person who put up the great sunset shot of the Canadian vessel Tanu.And a really interesting set of images of a culturally modified cedar tree in the Fraser estuary. Keep them coming.
NEW: Power in the River Currents in Chapter One. Ernie Catherwoods log towing company works spectacular waters with tugs made for the job. It would be great to see some photos of other river yarding tugs in the Mariners Gallery.
Another feature of these pages are the Google Earth links in many of the stories. These are easy to use but you will need to install the free down-loadable program in your computer first.
Your feed back with suggestions for improvements to this site is most welcome. Please come, take a look around and let me know what you think. Unless otherwise noted all text and photos are copyrighted to Alan Haig-Brown.
I have uploaded, to the tide and current gallery, some photos that I took on the Philippines’ Sulu sea in January 2008. While it is not the Pacific Coast I have added them by way of inviting all to share what ever marine photos they have. Most of this page features tugs but fishing boats of also welcome.