Current News
Cosco Busan Pilot Pleads Guilty
John Cota, the pilot aboard the 901-ft Cosco Busan when it hit the Bay Bridge on November 7, 2007, pleaded guilty last week to negligently causing the discharge of 53,000 gallons of oil into the Bay and to violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by causing the deaths of thousands of birds. More »
Take One Down, Pass It Around
An artist’s conception of the Plastiki . . . under build at Pier 31.
© Adventure Ecology
Although 12,000 may represent a small fraction of America’s daily consumption of plastic bottles, they’ll comprise a huge part of a 60-ft catamaran under build over at Pier 31. More »
Sailing the Green Mile
Every marina has them — neglected boats covered with green gunge and bottoms so foul that they could be declared their own ecosystems. But what happens when the owners stop paying their moorage? More »
Casualites of the Storm
Feelex the Cat! was towed back to safe harbor for the second time this winter.
© Tim Sell
The severe storm system that passed through the Bay Area over the last couple days put on quite a show — complete with thunder, lightning and even hail. More »
***Special Edition. . . RYC Cancels***
Due to a recent sewage spill in Contra Costa County that dumped almost a million gallons of raw and partially-treated sewage into the Bay, Richmond YC cancelled both its small boat events for this weekend — the Sail A Small Boat Day scheduled for today, and the final installment of the Small Boat Midwinters on Sunday. More »
Boating Tragedy Has Lessons for All
In a tragic docking mishap several days ago, this bright young Australian was fatally injured.
© van Os family
Cruisers Jim and Emma Mather of the Redondo Beach-based Down East 45 Blue Sky alerted us to a horrible boating accident that occurred several days ago in Thailand, where they are currently cruising with their kids, Phoebe and Drake. More »
DBW Dodges a Bullet – for Now
Boaters dodged a bullet last week when California passed the state budget . . . without Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to merge the Department of Boating and Waterways (aka Cal Boating) with the Department of Parks and Recreation. More »
The Cremation of Vaval
Vaval strung up and ready for cremation. But what’s with the fire? When we took Firebuilding 101 at U.C., we were taught to soak the bottom pallets in gas or diesel, and burn from the bottom up. More »
Yikes!
The latest Vendée Globe race has been brutal enough without an obstacle course thrown in at the last minute. When this container was reported offshore of France — right in the path of finishing Vendée boats — a Marine Nationale ship was sent out to retrieve it. More »
NTSB Report on Cosco Busan
In a final analysis of the Cosco Busan oil spill on November 7, 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board determined this week that several factors caused the collision that spilled more than 53,000 gallons of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay and resulted in close to $75 million in damages. More »
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