Shows / The Ship Report
The Ship Report
Ship Report podcasts take you to a special corner of the world, the mighty Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. Nautical lore, news and info, mariner interviews, daily international ship traffic, and the inside scoop on the upper left edge of Oregon and beyond. The Ship Report is proud to celebrate 20+ years on the air! More at shipreport.net
Episodes
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Our weather shows signs of more fall "seesawing," with more rain on the way
The Ship Report, Wednesday, October 14, 2026Our typical fall pattern this week, of more rain inserting itself into the forecast, alternating with sunshine. Sea…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: A look at this year's "Super" El Nino and its opposite sibling, La Nina
The Ship Report, Tuesday, October 13, 2026Scientists are saying we are in for an intense El Nino period this winter. But what does that mean - what is El Nino…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A look at this week's weather and today's ships
The Ship Report, Monday, October 12, 2026Let's take a look at who is on the river today and what kind of weather they'll be dealing with.
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A look at weather and ship traffic
The Ship Report, Thursday, October 8, 2026What's in store for the weekend with marine weather? We'll take a look, and check out ships coming and going on the…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: "Heavy weather season is upon us" - a cautionary note from the PNW US Coast Guard
The Ship Report, Wednesday, October 7, 2026Today I'll share some advice from our Coast Guard personnel here locally, about the approaching PNW heavy weather…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Update on USNS Mercy, ships today, and Oliver fixes a leak
The Ship Report, Tuesday, October 6, 2026Today's show is a bit of a potpourri, a little of this and that: I'll be answering a question about the hospital ship…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Why do we care about Oliver Widger?
The Ship Report: Monday, October 5, 2026I’ve been on a bit of a tear about solo sailor Oliver Widger the past few days, and have been sharing a lot of info on…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Oliver Widger sets off to sail the world - alone, unassisted, without stopping
The Ship Report, Thursday, October 1, 2026You may have heard of Oliver Widger. He's the intrepid Portland man who, after getting a life-changing medical…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: A look at gantry cranes and other interesting gear on our anchored ships
The Ship Report, Wednesday, September 30, 2026This week we've seen some interesting ships in our Astoria anchorage, with gear we don't normally see on an…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Racing around the world, Part 6 - injuries are always a risk at sea
The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 29, 2026In this final segment of my interview series featuring round-the-world racing sailor Heidi Brown, we learn about…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Racing Around the World, Part 5: the terrifying experience of sailing in hurricane force winds
The Ship Report, Monday, September 28, 2026Today we'll hear more from my interview with Heidi Brown, the Astoria woman who returned this summer from sailing in…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Racing around the world with Heidi Brown, Part 4
The Ship Report, Thursday, September 24, 2026This week I've been talking with sailor Heidi Brown about her 40,000 mile round the world experience as a crew…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Sailing around the world with Heidi Brown, Part 3
The Ship Report, Wednesday, September 23, 2026Astoria resident Heidi Brown recently completed a 40,000 mile round the world race on a 70 foot yacht with about…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Sailing around the world - a chat with Heidi Brown, Part 2
The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 22, 2026Astoria resident Heidi Brown recently sailed 40,000 miles in the Clipper Round the World Race. This week I talk…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Racing around the world - a chat with Heidi Brown, Part 1
The Ship Report, Monday, September 21, 2026Astoria resident Heidi Brown recently returned from participating in the Clipper Round the World Race, sailing for…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A listener question about dew point
The Ship Report, Thursday, September 17, 2026A listener asked me about what dew point is, and in the process of checking into it, I also learned about relative…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: More ships! Let's talk about them
The Ship Report, Wednesday, September 16, 2026Our ship schedule continues to be robust, so let's take a look.
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A busy day on the river - let's look at who's coming and going!
The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 15, 2026After months of relatively small ship schedules, this week we're seeing an abundance of ships. Let's take a look!
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: The Ship Report's roots in community radio: KMUN in Astoria
The Ship Report, Monday, September 14, 2026As KMUN begins its fall pledge drive tomorrow, a little about how the Ship Report started there, and why I'm so…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Boatlift: a heroic maritime response to 9/11
The Ship Report, Thursday, September 10, 2026Today we remember a tragic day in US history: September 11, 2001, when terrorists flew planes into the World Trade…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: The Pacific Collector missile tracking ship passes by today
The Ship Report, Wednesday, September 9, 2026The Pacific Collector, a US military missile defense tracking ship, will head outbound from Portland Wednesday…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: T he 2026 Golden Globe solo race has begun
The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 8, 2026Sixteen sailboats left Les Sables D'Olonne, France, over the weekend to compete in a unique race called the Golden…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Current, physics and big outboards
The Ship Report, Thursday, September 3, 2026While I've talked about the need to understand and work with current on the river, it seems that some vessels go…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: As our first storm of the season arrives, it brings with it the potential for interruption to ship traffic
The Ship Report, Wednesday, September 2, 2026We're having our first fall storm of the season today, and that brings the potential for interruptions to ship…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Meteorological fall begins
The Ship Report, Tuesday, September 1, 2026It's September 1st, and that means the end of meteorological summer and the beginning of meteorological fall. A…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: A look at research vessels
The Ship Report, Monday, August 31, 2026Another kind of ship we see fairly often here on the river is the research vessel. It's cargo is live people…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: A change in the weather as fall approaches
The Ship Report, Thursday, August 27, 2026We'll talk about a recent blog post from UW meteorologist Cliff Mass, talking about the cooling trend we are entering…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: the lights you see at night, Part 2
The Ship Report, Wednesday, August 26, 2026Today we'll hear the second of a two-part interview on ship lights from the Ship Report archives, from an interview…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: The lights you see at night on ships - they hold great meaning, especially for other vessels
The Ship Report, Tuesday, August 25, 2026Today we'll hear the first of a two-part interview on ship lights from the Ship Report archives, from an interview I…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Understanding marine weather forecasts: significant wave height
The Ship Report, Monday, August 24, 2026Today we'll talk about an important term in marine weather: the concept of "significant wave height." Understanding the…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Some seasonal and navigational astronomy as the days get shorter
The Ship Report, Thursday, August 20, 2026Today we'll talk about the approach of autumn, shorter days and the different kinds of twilight we experience as the…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Unusual cruise comes to Astoria
The Ship Report: Wednesday, August 19, 2026Today we'll take a look at the Crystal Symphony, a luxury cruise ship that will be in Astoria on Wednesday. She's…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: A look at today's ships, and a bit about our two Vancouvers
The Ship Report, Tuesday, August 18, 2026Today, a look at who's coming and going on the river, and since we frequently see ships arriving from Vancouver. BC…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Answering the question: So what's the big deal about the Columbia River Bar? It looks pretty calm to me...
The Ship Report, Monday, August 1 7, 2026Today I'd like to answer this question from another angle, after seeing someone post a photo of a calm Columbia River…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: More on tides and our daily lives
The Ship Report, Thursday, August 13, 2026Today we'll talk more about how tides change all the time here, and affect us on both the river and ocean beaches…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A look at why lines "part" and why it's so dangerous
The Ship Report, Wednesday, August 12, 2026Today, we take a look at the strain vessels are under in the work they do.And how weather can push things to the…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: The Rule of 12ths, a way to gauge tidal dangers on the Columbia
The Ship Report, Tuesday, August 11, 2026Today we’ll talk about a useful guideline for navigating in heavily tidal waters like the Columbia. It’s called the…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A look at today's ship schedule and tides in the river
The Ship Report, Monday, August 10, 2026Today we'll look at today's abundant ship schedule, and also take a look at this week's tides, which feature pretty big…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: The busy inland Columbia River
The Ship Report, Thursday, August 6, 2026. While ship traffic may seem slow some days on the lower river near the Columbia's mouth, there's plenty happening…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Listener question about pilot boats and ships
The Ship Report, Wednesday, August 5, 2026A listener sent me an interesting question this week: asking why pilot transfers happen while ships are moving…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Smoky wildfire haze makes its way to the coast
The Ship Report, Tuesday, August 4, 2026The National Weather Service warns us this week to expect wildfire smoke on the coast, thanks to a change in wind…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Buoy 10 fishing is in full swing on the lower Columbia
The Ship Report, Monday, August 3, 2026The Buoy 10 fishing season is in full swing here on the lower Columbia, and I thought I would share my happy…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Buoy 10 fishery opens this weekend
The Ship Report, Thursday, July 30, 2026On Saturday, August 1, we'll see a big influx of small fishing boats on the Columbia River off Astoria, Warrenton and…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A look at today's ship schedule
The Ship Report, Wednesday, July 29, 2026We haven't looked at ship schedules lately, so let's see who's coming and going on the river today.
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: The icebreaker USCGC Healy has mechanical issues during sea trials
The Ship Report: Tuesday, July 28, 2026Today we'll take a look at a ship that was recently in the Columbia River at the Portland shipyard: the USCGC Healy, a…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: answering a listener question about maritime pilots
The Ship Report, Monday, July 27, 2026Glad to be back from last week off, with the answer to a listener question, and a little about "how I spent my summer…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: From the Ship Report archives: an in-depth look at Bulk Carriers, Part 4
The Ship Report, Thursday, July 23, 2026This week I'm taking a little much needed time off, so we'll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: From the Ship Report archives: an in-depth look at Bulk Carriers, Part 3
The Ship Report, Wednesday, July 22, 2026This week I'm taking a little much needed time off, so we'll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: From the Ship Report archives: an in-depth look at Bulk Carriers, Part 2
The Ship Report: Monday, July 21, 2026This week I'm taking a little much needed time off, so we'll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: A look in the archives, all about Bulk Carriers, Part 1
The Ship Report, Monday, July 20, 2026This week I'm taking a little much needed time off, so we'll be hearing a bit from the Ship Report archives, a really…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: Why the Columbia River Bar is so dangerous, even in modern times
The Ship Report, Thursday, July 16, 2026in our region's maritime history, the Columbia River Bar has long been known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, because…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Historic fireboat comes to Astoria museum
The Ship Report, July 15, 2026The historic fireboat David Campbell found a permanent place in history yesterday, after being placed on land at Astoria's…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: the mindboggling topic of economy of scale
The Ship Report, Tuesday, July 14, 2026Today we'll talk about economies of scale in the maritime industry, which means that the more you can ship at once in a…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: A look at the weather and today's schedule
The Ship Report, Monday, July 7, 2026Today we'll look at some of the ordinary things that add up to an interesting day in the region, in terms of maritime…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: More details about ships
The Ship Report, Thursday, July 9, 2026For some folks, seeing a list of ships coming in and out of the river is just that - a list.When I look at them, I see…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: How noticing the natural world around us makes us safer on the river and ocean beach
The Ship Report, Wednesday, July 8, 2026Today we’ll talk about how we can look for clues in the marine environment right in front of us, or use readily…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: How ships load and unload cargo
The Ship Report, Tuesday, July 7, 2026It's another unseen piece of the maritime industry puzzle: how do ships get cargoes on and off. We'll take a look at some…
- The Ship Report
The Ship Report: a close look at the interesting detail in today's ships
The Ship Report, Monday, July 7, 2026Today we have a small ship schedule, and that presents two opportunities for me here: to reassure you that a day here and…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Happy Birthday, Captain Deb Dempsey, master mariner
The Ship Report, Thursday, July 2, 2026This week we're celebrating the birthday of legendary ship captain and maritime pilot Captain Deborah Dempsey. She was a…
The Ship ReportThe Ship Report: Answers to listener questions
The Ship Report, Wednesday, July 1, 2026Today I'll answer a couple of listener questions about what it means when ship traffic numbers are low (hint: not much…