boats

Horrible Cruise Ship Capsizing Actually Sounds Sort of Funny

Max Read · 01/16/12 10:19AM

The cruise ship Costa Concordia capsized over the weekend, just off the coast of the Italian island of Giglio, killing at least six and terrifying the ship's 4,200 passengers. (All but 15 have been accounted for.) It sounds unbelievably horrifying. But also sort of funny.

Don't Throw Your Child Off the Boat

Hamilton Nolan · 08/29/11 04:12PM

Sure, at one time or another we've all wanted to hurl our annoying child into to the violent sea's foamy maw, where no amount of petulant whining will save them from Poseidon's cold embrace. Particularly on one of those "sightseeing cruises." Ugh, have you been subjected to those? Talk about Supposedly Fun Things I'll Never Do Again, amirite? It's enough to make anyone cast their spawn into the deep. Still, you shouldn't.

Captain Morgan's Pirate Ship Found

Lauri Apple · 08/07/11 09:29PM

A team of U.S. archeologists believe they've found parts of the long-lost pirate ship of Captain Henry Morgan—that's Admiral Sir Henry Morgan to you, scallawag—down in Panama, which is where I, for one, suspected it was located all along.

Stupidest Shark Ever Leaps Onto Boat

Max Read · 07/19/11 11:24PM

Great white sharks are the largest, scariest predators in the sea. But they should stay in the sea. One shark didn't last week, and decided to see what it was like on a research boat.

Blackbeard's Anchor Recovered off North Carolina

Max Read · 05/28/11 01:29PM

Divers off the coast of North Carolina recovered the third-largest anchor from what's believed to be the remains of the pirate Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. It's 11 feet and four inches long (seven feet, seven inches wide), and covered — as you can see — with gross ocean stuff. No word on whether or not it's haunted.

Politician Takes 12-Hour Boat Ride to Avoid TSA Pat-Down

Maureen O'Connor · 02/21/11 06:20PM

On her way home from medical treatment for breast cancer, Alaska state Rep. Sharon Cissna underwent a TSA body scan at the airport in Seattle. Agents then ordered a pat-down of the state representative after noticing her mastectomy on the scan, says her chief-of-staff. Cissna, who is a Democrat, decided to leave the airport and take a 12-hour boat ride from Seattle to Juneau, instead.

Epic Boat Launch Fail

Richard Blakeley · 02/03/11 04:30PM

We're pretty sure they meant to use the truck to launch a boat into the water and not the boat to launch a truck into the water.

Seagull Swoops In, Saves Man From Eclair

Christopher Han · 12/10/10 10:26AM

The cameraman and crowd see this seagull coming from afar, but the man with the eclair refuses to budge - daring any animal to come take a bite out of his delicious, delicious eclair. Silly man, seagulls have no fear.

'It's a Little Damp for My Tastes'

Max Read · 12/06/10 03:40AM

[People paddle a boat at the flooded street in village of Rijeka Crnojevica, Montenegro, where hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes because of floods caused by heavy rains. Photo via AP.]

Steven Slater of Cruise Ships Lacks Charm of Real Steven Slater

Maureen O'Connor · 11/29/10 06:55PM

"In the high seas equivalent of trying to open an airplane door mid-flight, an intoxicated California man released the anchor on a Holland America cruise ship while the vessel was traveling in international waters en route to Florida." [TSG]

The Pentagon's New Shape-Shifting Paper Robot

Max Read · 06/30/10 07:44PM

Pentagon-backed scientists have developed a paper-thin robot that can fold itself into any shape, like a plane, or a boat. Probably it will eventually rise up and kill us all, but until then, origami will be much easier. [Wired]