The Ship Report is All Things Maritime!

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 our formidable marine weather. Join maritime journalist Joanne Rideout on the Ship Report, as we explore the fascinating nautical world, on the Upper Left Edge of Oregon and beyond.  The Ship Report is proud to celebrate 20 years on the air!

Big atmospheric river in store next week

I'm afraid it 's more weather - we'll take a look at a forecast from UW meteorologist Cliff Mass that bears watching, predicting a big atmospheric river headed our way next week.
More

A look at our evolving weather, and good thoughts for those in the path of Hurricane Melissa

We're looking at our evolving weather, and ships traveling on the river, with a "there but for the grace of God go I" moment of humility and solidarity for those in the path of Hurricane Melissa - which is battering Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba with sustained winds of 185...
More

Who’s on the river, and what’s next for the weather?

Today, a look at who's traveling on the river, including tugboats and a Military Sealift Command vessel. And a look at the next round of weather headed our way.
More

Trusted sources of weather info – be your own fact-checker!

On Monday’s podcast I mentioned some trusted sources I use to get accurate weather and emergency info for our region. Here’s that list, with a few additions. You may have your own sources for trusted info. Use them and stay informed. Be your own fact-checker!...
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Accurate sources for weather (marine and land-based), road and emergency info

With so much misinformation flying around on social media, and more bad weather on the way this week. I thought it would be helpful to share some trusted resources you can use to keep yourself up to date with trusted weather, road and emergency info.
More

Columbia River Ship Traffic

GO
Approximate Vessel Travel Times
  • Portland/Vancouver -Astoria: 6-8 hours
  • Kalama -Astoria: 5 hours
  • Longview -Astoria: 3.5 hours
  • Columbia River Bar – Astoria: 1.5 hours
Times vary according to tidal conditions, current, weather, and individual vessel horsepower.
Water Speed & Currents

Curated Links

Arts
Local
Maritime
NOAA
Photos
Tsunami
Video
Tides

When’s High Tide where you are?  Find Tidal info at www.saltwatertides.com

Tide times are often listed in 24 hour time.  For times after noon, subtract 1200 from the time to get regular clock time. Ex: 1300 hrs – 1200 = 1:00 pm)

MLLW:  Also, tides are referenced to Mean Lower Low Water, a reference point for depth on many nautical charts. MLLW is the average of the lower of the two low tides in a day, over a 19-year cycle. Minus tides are lower than MLLW.

Adjustments: If you’re right on the coast, subtract an hour from these times. Upriver, highs and lows happen later. For instance, in Knappa, add an hour. In Clatskanie, add 2 hours and 15 minutes.

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Ship Report Podcasts

Big atmospheric river in store next week

I'm afraid it 's more weather - we'll take a look at a forecast from UW meteorologist Cliff Mass that bears watching, predicting a big atmospheric river headed our way next week.
Listen

A look at our evolving weather, and good thoughts for those in the path of Hurricane Melissa

We're looking at our evolving weather, and ships traveling on the river, with a "there but for the grace of God go I" moment of humility and solidarity for those in the path of Hurricane Melissa - which is battering Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba with sustained winds of 185...
Listen

Who’s on the river, and what’s next for the weather?

Today, a look at who's traveling on the river, including tugboats and a Military Sealift Command vessel. And a look at the next round of weather headed our way.
Listen

Accurate sources for weather (marine and land-based), road and emergency info

With so much misinformation flying around on social media, and more bad weather on the way this week. I thought it would be helpful to share some trusted resources you can use to keep yourself up to date with trusted weather, road and emergency info.
Listen

Stormy weather is upon us – get ready for wind and rain, and possible power outages

The stormy weather we've been promised all week is arriving today - be ready for gusty winds and heavy rain. We may see interruptions in ship traffic today and through the weekend.
Listen

The Ship Report, the show about All Things Maritime, features maritime news and information, local and international, based in the Pacific Northwest in Astoria, Oregon. shipreport.net. Podcasts available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts

The Ship Report is also broadcast  Weekdays at 8:49 am on  KMUN Radio Astoria, Oregon

Columbia River Bar
Pacific NW Coast Bar Closure Info from NOAA.

Also on Facebook and Twitter (US Coast Guard).

“Pilot transfer” is when a pilot disembarks or boards a ship. Ships generally must by law have a river or bar pilot on board when they are on the Columbia or Willamette Rivers. The bar and river pilots have separate pilotage grounds defined by the Oregon Legislature.

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Meet Joanne Rideout
Producer Joanne Rideout is a journalist and photographer who created The Ship Report in 2003. Since then Joanne and has been interviewing, writing and photographing the maritime world and its interesting people as much as she possibly can.
Ship Horn Signals

Commonly Heard off Astoria

One prolonged blast every two minutes or less: vessel operating in fog.

Five consecutive horn blasts: warning signal that means literally “I do not know your intention.” This generally means another vessel is in the way of a ship in the channel, and is being asked to move before they collide.

Three short blasts: Vessel going in reverse

One long blast followed by three short: signal for the change of pilots.