Quahog
by Richard King The quahog, a clam, has had a diverse role in human history, but it’s one that has often been misunderstood. Pronounced kō-hog—derived from the names common to…
Read MoreProvisioning for an Ocean Voyage
Feeding the Ship’s Crew: Provisioning for an Ocean Voyage When Teddy Seymour was preparing for his sailing voyage around the world, he had to strategize to bring enough food for…
Read MoreOrca
By Richard King “This peacefulness was interrupted,” wrote Teddy Seymour, “by a strange encounter of an animal kind.” Sailing alone in his boat Love Song in 1986, he was cruising…
Read MoreParrots
By Richard King In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island (1883), Long JohnSilver shows young Hawkins his pee parrot in a cage. Silver’s female bird, which he gives sugar snacks…
Read MoreMaritime Museum Executive Director
“I’ve got the keys to the submarine!” When Cathy Green took over as executive director of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum a few years ago, she joked about assuming responsibility for…
Read MoreAbalone
By Richard J. King For the haenyeo, the traditional female divers of Korea’s Jeju Island, the abalone is not only a prized source of food and security, but is also…
Read MoreShip’s Cat
by Philippa Sandall 1803 was a momentous year for Matthew Flinders and his cat, Trim. In June they completed the circumnavigation of Australia aboard HMS Investigator. In August, sailing…
Read MoreWe Love Tugboats
Why do we L O V E tugboats? Let’s see… They are small. They are awesomely powerful. They are helpful. They do things that big ships just can’t do. Some…
Read MoreTugboat Captain
Growing up, Daniel Zorovich was a big fan of the TV show Modern Marvels on the History Channel. “I used to watch this show religiously, as it usually covered topics…
Read MoreThe North and South Poles—Like No Place Else on Earth
Photograph of the Triumph at the North Pole! Robert Peary took this photo of his team upon their arrival at the North Pole on 6 April 1909. Matthew Henson is…
Read MoreWalrus
By Richard King Looking over the rail of the boat, Matthew Henson knows he will die in minutes if he falls into this water. He is in a polynya (an…
Read MoreSelf-Steering Boat
Self-Steering Boat Who’s At the Helm? Spray, a Well-Balanced Boat, and the Advent of Self-Steering When planning his sailing expedition to study the natural phenomena of the Caribbean, naturalist Gilbert…
Read MoreHistory of Diving
History of Diving: A Look Below the Surface “For weeks I had stood on shore and looked at the place where the color of the ocean changed abruptly from light…
Read MoreCaribbean Reef Octopus
By Richard King Gilbert C. Klingel grew up around the Chesapeake Bay, dreaming of becoming a naturalist adventurer. His first scientific expedition took him to Haiti in 1928 to find…
Read MoreHorse
By Richard King James H. Williams grew up in Rhode Island in the 1870s. His father, a sailor and a loving dad, died when James was only seven, but it…
Read More