On Tuesday this week, Michael Simpson, 51, was arrested by Miami police and charged with second degree attempted murder. He was brought before a judge to hear the chage and then released on a $10,000 bond. Authorities allege that at 530 am on July 29 two men were anchored in a well known lobstering spot when Simpson arrived in his own boat. An argument ensued between the original boat owner and Simpson, who accused the man and his friend of lobstering in “Simpson’s spot.” While this was going on, one of the two men was in the water diving for…

Last week’s On Watch column on the recent report from the World Shipping Organziation on the number of containers lost at sea during the year, noted that some 1478 containers went over the side. This is up markedly fron 2025, large because one ship lost 649 containers in one incident. Our old friend Seibe Nordze of Newport, RI, runs the marine gear and equipment dealership Euro Marine Trading in Newport, RI. In his previous career, he was in the marine shipping business and has run and managed many container ships. Here are his insights into the real hazards provided by…

Lukas Sjoman, a young Finnish inventor, built Helios 11 to prove that an all-electric, solar-powered boat can cruise for extended periods if not indefinitely without burning an ounce of carbon fuel. This spring he left Finland and headed for the European canals. His destination was the island of Ibiza in Spain’s Balearic Islands in the Med. Along the way he posted YouTube videos and has developed a sizeable following. At one point on the way south, the solar panel array that covers the whole boat, was damaged by hooligans throwing stones at him from a bridge as he passed underneath.…

On Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that it was suspending its search for three people who were lost when a 50-pontoon boat named Volare capsized and started to sink near Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. One man was fished from the water and given CPR. Clifford Joseph Boisa, 79, year was pronounced dead when his body was delivered to EMTs ashore. Twenty persons, all members of one family, were rescued and several had to be taken to the hospital due to injuries sustained in the capsize. Three of the guests aboard are missing and presumed drowned. “Suspending…