Posts by John Riise
Return of Historic Sailing Vessel ‘Vega’
You may recall the story in the April, 2019, issue about the shipyard accident involving the historic working brigantine Vega. In a nutshell, during a routine haulout at a shipyard in Thailand, the carriage wheels on the marine railway collapsed and the 128-year-old wooden ship (built in 1892 in Norway as a Baltic and North Sea trader) rolled off and onto her port side.
Young Cruiser Killed in Moorea
In a tragic accident in Moorea on August 10, a young cruiser was killed after being hit by a speedboat. According to reports, Eddie Jarman, 14, was checking the anchor on his family’s UK-based Discovery 55 September a.m. in Opunohu Bay when he was struck.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif: One of the Good Guys
You may have seen Laurent Duvernay-Tardif on the news in the last few weeks. He is a 29-year-old offensive lineman on the Kansas City Chiefs football team. Back in February, he helped that franchise earn their first Superbowl rings in 50 years.
You Think This is Bad? — Remembering Harry
The ups and downs of COVID-19 drive us as crazy as everyone else. With all due respect for the real financial and psychological impact the pandemic is having on society, if you think this is bad, let us relive a story for you that we did way back in 1996 about Captain Ottmar “Harry” Friz, one of the most amazing seafarers and gentlemen we’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
When Frigate Birds Tire of Flying
Frigate Birds are an oddity among seabirds in that they never go in the water. Indeed, if a Frigate does somehow end up in the drink, it will likely drown in short order.
Eight Bells for Clinton Pearson
Boatbuilder Clinton Pearson passed away on April 4. He was 91.
New Girl on the Block
Wilbur Spaul achieved a significant milestone in his bid to sail the smallest boat to Hawaii: In February, he chainsawed the 8-ft Chubby Girl into pieces and tossed them into a dumpster.
Birthday Revelations with Commodore
Warwick “Commodore” Tompkins turned 88 last Wednesday, and he and wife Nancy celebrated with family and friends on Saturday at the Sausalito YC. War stories were told, our favorite being recounted by Skip Allan. More »
Sailing to the Ends of Sanity and a Flat Earth
We don’t quite get websites that intentionally run bogus stories. Well, okay, some ‘articles’ are amusing and we guess that sells ads. But these days, journalism is having a tough enough time with credibility without throwing gasoline onto the fire. More »
Zingaro’s Bad Break Is Bad Break
Two days before Christmas, James Evenson and Kim Jensen were on final approach to Honolulu from the South Seas aboard their Spindrift 37 cat Zingaro when things went terribly wrong.
They were in washing-machine conditions about 40 miles southwest of the Big Island. More »
Receive emails when 'Lectronic Latitude is updated. SUBSCRIBE