New meets old and the hybrid era of boating
From speakers to satellite antennas to hybrid propulsion, adding new systems to older boats seems to make a lot of sense.
The drawn-out nature of port labor negotiations
Both Canadian and U.S. West Coast dockworkers are considering new labor agreements. Public perception is used as a tool in negotiations.
Port of Seattle's cruise business is booming
Seattle's cruise season runs mid-April through October. Various sized ships take travelers to Alaska and back.
Future Tides is now part of the Tiny News Collective!
Earlier this year, Future Tides joined the Tiny News Collective, a nonprofit helping people build sustainable news organizations to serve their communities.
When safety boats go electric, small boaters benefit from the silence
Over the summer, someone walking by Lake Washington, Bellingham Bay or other sheltered waters throughout Western Washington may have seen this idyllic sight: a smattering of small sailboats — some going straight, some not so much — accompanied by a small powerboat carrying a coach responsible for instruction and safety. Essential for
Why they wing foil
Wing foiling brings together a hydrofoil board with an inflatable wing. Fans say it's an accessible alternative to other wind sports.
After mishap, NOAA completes buoyancy engine tests for underwater glider
NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Lab (PMEL) concluded an underwater glider mission in a deep-water “test bed” off Golden Gardens park in Seattle. The engineering-focused mission tested a new buoyancy engine, which lets the glider move up and down, and a new sensor. The PMEL team created a virtual mooring
No more NWICSA: A shift for college sailing in the region
The smallest college sailing district in the U.S. is being dissolved after 65 years, part of major reforms for the collegiate sport
Pedal power: America's Cup and R2AK advance cycling sailors
The next America’s Cup international sailing race will be held in a yet-to-be-announced venue in 2024. Over the past decade, the match race vessels drastically evolved from monohulls to catamarans and now monohulls with wingsails and hydrofoils. The event is both innovative and for some, unrecognizable from its previous
Report outlines technical details of King County Water Taxi expansion
In December 2019, a King County Metro survey gauging interest in additional water taxi routes generated buzz in the waterfront communities of Ballard and Kenmore. Two years later, the proposed expansion is further defined but not a certainty
New subsea fiber network underway on the Alaska peninsula
High speed internet connectivity has a major impact in rural and coastal areas. Once completed, the Aleutians Fiber Project will connect six Alaskan communities
Oregon’s undersea cables generate both collaboration and controversy
More than a dozen undersea cables extend from the Oregon and Washington coasts, crossing through miles of commercial fishing grounds. Far more data is transmitted, and more quickly, via these undersea cables than through satellite communications. TeleGeography’s interactive undersea cable map shows the extent of these submarine cables. Selecting
Not there yet: The absence of autonomous ships in Washington waters
An autonomous tugboat named Nellie Bly circumnavigated Denmark. A Saildrone crossed the eye of a hurricane. MIT’s self-driving Roboats are currently navigating Amsterdam’s canals. But what about autonomous ship activity in Pacific Northwest waters? In short, these high tech vessels aren’t sailing around here yet. A representative
The Shilshole liveaboard community: ‘demand continues to escalate’
A member of the Future Tides community asked about trends around liveaboards. Drawing on personal experience and Port of Seattle data, here's the current scene
On the dock and in the classroom at Washington’s new maritime high school
On a gray, but not stormy, October afternoon, members of Maritime High School’s freshman class headed out for a field experience on Admiral Jack, a 40’ catamaran managed by MHS partner Northwest Maritime Center. The Port Townsend-based nonprofit retrofitted the passenger vessel to use for educational programs and tours
Spotted on the Sound: MarkSetBot
In 2021, one Seattle sailing fleet made a notable change to its race course with the addition of two robotic race marks
NOAA’s system update and the next era of electronic charts
A Future Tides interview with NOAA navigation manager Crescent Moegling about the role of technology in the National Charting Plan, which will sunset raster nautical charts