On my third hour of scanning the waters of the western New York bight for whales, I began to understand what a lookout on a 19th century whaleship must have faced. Incessant salty wind and chilly spray buffeted my face as the undulating surface of the water played tricks on my perception. Dark waves rose …
Attention maritime history nerds: my new article on the historic relaunch of the Charles W. Morgan, America’s oldest commercial vessel still afloat, is posted at CoastalCommons.net. This story encompasses two spheres near to my heart, whaling history and environmental conservation, and proves that they aren’t mutually exclusive. Though I couldn’t attend the relaunch ceremony at …
I can name a handful of close-up encounters with nature that have changed my life. One was snorkeling off the coast of Maui in 1998, where a green sea turtle sidled up to my face mask and seemed to want to get to know me. Another was going on my first whale watching trip from …
Read more “Whale Watching Leads to More Concern for Marine Conservation”