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Best Sailing Forums

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

August 30, 2022

‍ Forums are the internet equivalent of a library or the local boatyard, and they’re an absolute necessity to keep the sailing community going strong.

The best internet sailing forums are the Cruisers Forum, the SailNet Community, the Sailing Anarchy Forums, the Sailing Forums, and the WoodenBoat Forum. These forums cover everything from cruising destinations to repair tips.

In this article, we’ll review five of the biggest and best online sailing forums and communities. We’ll cover the layout of each forum, its user experience, and the level of interaction members have with guests. Additionally, we’ll specify each forum’s niche and help you find the best forum for your boat and specific interests.

We examined each forum thoroughly and fairly for these reviews, and we also considered our personal experience as members interacting on these forums.

Table of contents

‍ What Makes a Great Sailing Forum?

The best sailing forums are easy to distinguish from all the rest. A good sailing forum has a sizable community of sailors and sailboat enthusiasts who are both knowledgeable and passionate about sailing.

Sailing forums don’t have to focus on a single topic, but niche forums can be very helpful. For example, a forum dedicated only to Catalina sailboats can be a fantastic resource, as can a general sailing forum that covers a multitude of topics.

Additionally, the best sailing forums are categorized logically, easy to navigate, and effectively moderated. The experience on a sailing forum shouldn’t be too saturated with ads or irrelevant content, and membership should be free (at least for a basic view/post membership).

Types of Sailing Forums

There are a few distinct types of sailing forums online today, and they cover a wide range of topics. The most popular are general sailing forums, which are a great place for sailors of all backgrounds and experience levels to congregate and discuss virtually any sailing-related topic.

Other forums focus on more specific aspects of the sport, such as racing and long-range cruising. These forums are an excellent place to get tips, meet like-minded sailors, explore cruising plans, and find low-key anchorages in remote destinations. People also share their cruising experiences and photos on these forums.

Some sailing forums focus more on the boats themselves. These include brand and boat type forums, boat building forums, and repair forums.

Best Forums for Sailing

We scoured the online sailing community to find the best forums for sailboats, racing, restoration, and sailboat companies. Based on our requirements listed above, here are the top five sailing forums online today.

1. Cruisers Forum

The Cruisers Forum  is one of the most popular sailing forums on the internet. The forum has hundreds of members and thousands of guest users, plus a very consistent and dedicated member base. Topics vary widely on the forum and include everything from cruising logs to GPS reviews.

The Cruisers Forum is what we’d consider a general sailing forum. It covers a broad range of topics, and members are free to post virtually anything sailing and cruising-related as long as it’s in the right category.

Forum Categories

The Cruisers Forum has numerous categories. These include an introduction section for new members, news, and cruising subcategories for each major sailing region. There are also separate regional forums for general topics.

The Cruisers Forum dedicates sections for off-topic discussion and storytelling, among other things. They also have a resources section for books, information, guides, and links related to sailing and cruising.

The forum has an extensive section dedicated to sailboats. It includes categories for monohull sailboats, multihull sailboats, powerboats, general sailing discussion, and a manufacturer forum broken down by popular boat brands.

The forum hosts an extensive ‘Life Aboard a Boat’ section, which focuses on everything from provisioning to earning a living aboard a floating home. The Liveaboard Forum is a popular section with over 127,000 individual posts.

There is a lot to learn on the Cruisers Forum, especially for beginners and those looking to gain experience. There’s an entire forum dedicated to seamanship and boat handling, navigation, training, safety, and more. Additionally, you can learn how to monitor the weather and stay safe on the water.

Overall Experience

The overall experience on the Cruisers Forum is excellent. Members are friendly and responsive, and the forum has an incalculable amount of valuable information already on it. You can find an answer to almost any question relating to cruising, travel plans, boat repair, living aboard, and sailing lifestyle—and if you can’t, you can just ask the forum’s large member base.

2. SailNet Community

The SailNet Community  is another extremely popular general sailing forum with a great member base and a vast array of topics. This sleek, modern forum features a user-friendly design and an amicable member base that’s quick to respond to guest questions.

On the homepage, you’ll find the most recent posts as well as their parent categories. This is useful, as it gives guests and members a constant feed of recent activity without burying posts based on their category.

So, what can you find on the SailNet forum? The forum hosts virtually everything related to sailing, and the posts are well moderated to dispense with spam and miscategorized posts. And as a general sailing forum, you can find a category for most sailing and boating-related topics to post in.

One of the most popular categories on SailNet is the General Discussion forum, as it provides a great platform for all kinds of sailing-related questions. People discuss boats, cruising plans, fiberglass repair, and much more on the General Discussion forum.

There’s also an introduction forum for new members, which helps people get acquainted with the platform and feel welcome. This is an important part of building an online community, rather than a simple information dump like Wikipedia.

As you might expect, SailNet has a large general discussion forum with over 400,000 individual posts. There’s also a large liveaboard and cruising forum with around 100,000 posts and 25 million views. This classifies SailNet as a large forum, especially by sailing forum standards.

There are additional forum categories for chartering, racing, photos, lost vessels, and sailing destinations. There’s even a section for crew requests and job postings. SailNet also includes a large equipment and maintenance forum, which is helpful for repairs. There’s a skills category for learning and instruction, plus a videos category.

SailNet includes a manufacturer forum known as “Boat Builders Row.” Here, there are individual categories for every major sailboat manufacturer (current and historical) in alphabetical order.

SailNet includes a classifieds forum where members and guests can post boats for sale and wanted ads.

The overall experience on the SailNet Forum is clean and pleasant. There’s a ton of useful information on the site, and it’s an excellent place to make friends and learn more about sailing. The forum is free for members, and the ad experience is pretty light.

3. Sailing Anarchy Forums

Sailing Anarchy  is a popular general sailing forum with a huge variety of discussion topics. The theme of the site is ‘anarchy’ in the sense that sailing brings true freedom. Each category has the word incorporated into it for forums like “Cruising Anarchy” and “Dinghy Anarchy.”

Sailing Anarchy has a large and loyal member base. They post regularly and seem very welcoming to newcomers. Like SailNet, Sailing Anarchy uses a newer-style layout that is intuitive and easy to read. These newer forums follow the basic post structure of traditional forums like Cruisers Forum but include a little more flashiness.

Readers can view posts as guests or members, though signing up allows you to post and maintain relationships with other cruisers. The forum hosts numerous categories on everything from general discussion to repairs.

Sailing Anarchy is a general sailing forum that covers just about every topic out there. There’s a general section and a forum for shorthand discussion—which is a category often missed by other sailing forums. Additionally, there’s a set of forums for specific types of sailing, such as racing, dinghy sailing, ocean racing, cruising, and more.

Sailing Anarchy has a photo section where users can post pictures of their boats and cruising expeditions, along with an “On the Water” forum for sailing-related news and events. As you’d expect, Sailing Anarchy also covers multihull sailboats, J/Boats, and sport boats.

Gear and repair discussion is popular on the Sailing Anarchy forum. There’s a “Fix It” section, along with a forum dedicated entirely to sailing gear and equipment. These categories cover gear reviews, repair guides, boat-building tips, and modifications.

The forum also includes an extensive area for non-sailing discussion, where members chat about everything from politics to food. This section has over a million posts in all, as it’s extremely popular with members and guests.

The overall experience on Sailing Anarchy is quite good, and the forum feels like a true community. Members are friendly and helpful, and there’s a wealth of knowledge on all sailing topics available. If you’re a sailing enthusiast, you’ll certainly feel at home on the Sailing Anarchy forums.

4. Sailing Forums

Sailing Forums  is a popular general sailboat forum that primarily covers racing boats and has an engaged member community. Sailboats of all kinds are discussed on this forum, and members are knowledgeable and friendly.

The design of the Sailing Forums is closely related to Sailing Anarchy and other modern online communities. It’s easy to navigate, clean, and free from burdensome ads that interfere with user experience. It’s free to register and also free to post.

The homepage of the Sailing Forums features a feed of the latest posts. And due to the size of the member community, almost every post (that hasn’t been covered a thousand times already) gets multiple replies in a relatively short amount of time. Additionally, the members who reply often include excellent information and tips due to their experience and passion for sailing.

Repair is a popular topic of discussion on the forum, and the majority of the discussion centers around popular small racing boats. These include dinghies and one to two-person trailerable sailboats. This is great for beginners and budget sailors, as most of these vessels can be acquired and maintained for a minimal expense.

The forum has several categories which mostly cover common open sailboats. These include the Capri and Catalina 14.2, the J/24, and the 470 North America. The forum has the internet’s most extensive discussions on the popular Sunfish and Laser sailboats, which have now become somewhat of a cult classic in the sailing world.

The Sailing Forums have dedicated forums for the Sunfish and the Laser due to their popularity. Here, you can find tips on repair, restoration, pricing, and sailing techniques for these popular racing boats. You can completely restore one of these classic dinghies with the advice and recommendations of forum members.

The forum also covers larger boats, maintenance, and sailing trips for a wide range of vessels. You can find information on diesel repair, boat insurance, fun sailing destinations, serial numbers, fiberglass repair, and virtually anything else under the general forum. There’s also a great database of sailboat resources on the forum.

The user experience of the Sailing Forums is very pleasant and intuitive. The forum itself is a massive knowledge depository and probably the best resource for small sailboats on the entire internet. Joining the Sailing Forums is free, and it’s an absolute must for anyone who sails small racing boats like the Sunfish, Laser, and Capri.

5. WoodenBoat Forum

The WoodenBoat Forum  is one of the most knowledgeable boat forums on the internet, and sailing is a huge part of it. Although the forum also focuses on powerboats, sailboat topics are common and cover everything from new boat construction to repair and sailing tips.

The WoodenBoat Forum is filled with information that’s not available anywhere else online. Shipwright skills and tips, which are often passed down generationally, have been preserved on the forum and would have otherwise been lost. There’s also a lot of troubleshooting and discussion of ideas amongst members, which can be invaluable for solving problems onboard.

The WoodenBoat Forum is the ideal destination for anyone restoring a classic boat or looking into building a boat. Owners of sailboats that have wooden interior furnishings can learn an enormous amount about repair, maintenance, and custom work on the WoodenBoat forum as well.

The WoodenBoat Forum isn’t divided specifically by boat type. Instead, the primary categories cover main topics and project types. Sailing is most often found in the People and Places category, Building and Repair, Design and Plans, and the miscellaneous boat category.

The most extensive category on the WoodenBoat forum is called The Bilge. Here, boat enthusiasts talk about virtually anything they want. The Bilge helps increase the sense of community on the forum, as like-minded people get to share life events and generally interesting topics with other members. There are over three million posts in The Bilge.

Other popular categories include Building and Repair, where wooden boat builders discuss their projects, share information, and help each other with skill-intensive jobs. Additionally, the Boat Designs category is an excellent place for prospective sailboat builders and buyers to discuss boat plans, projects, and future ambitions.

The WoodenBoat Forum itself is a classic web forum with a simple interface and logical organization. Anyone who has used a forum in the last two decades will be able to navigate it easily. The community is large and friendly, and they welcome newcomers into the discussion. Overall, the WoodenBoat Forum is one of the best online resources for sailboat owners, boat builders, and boat enthusiasts of all kinds.

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I've personally had thousands of questions about sailing and sailboats over the years. As I learn and experience sailing, and the community, I share the answers that work and make sense to me, here on Life of Sailing.

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Newly re-elected Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has emerged as the main challenger to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's reign. But in some ways, he is following in the footsteps of the Turkish leader who ran the city in the 1990s.

At long last, a cruise ship designed for people who hate cruises

Maybe we should call it a ‘floatel.’ the ritz-carlton’s posh yacht is part of the first generation of hotel brands making the leap from land to sea..

G USTAVIA, St. Barts — While admiring the sleek Ritz-Carlton Evrima sitting in Gustavia Harbor, I concluded that the vessel is a new category of cruising and should have a name that reflects as much.

At its heart, the Evrima is more of a hotel or resort on water than a cruise ship, so maybe it should be called a floatel. How about a boatique hotel? Would you settle for a barge and breakfast? No matter what it’s called — the Ritz-Carlton refers to the ship as a yacht — spending a few days on the Evrima was an experience unlike any I’d previously had on a cruise ship.

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Ritz-Carlton launched its entry into the world of cruising in 2022 after years of false starts and COVID-related delays. I read about its progress carefully because it seemed that while every other ship was getting bigger and more elaborate, Ritz-Carlton, owned by Marriott, was bucking the trend by making theirs smaller and more minimal. It’s also intent on calling its ships yachts. The definition of a yacht is fuzzy enough that the Ritz-Carlton can get away with it, but clearly, it’s about status. And if you’re paying $5,000 for a cruise (my Caribbean cruise was $5,300), telling your friends that you’re yachting seems appropriate.

During my Caribbean jaunt, there were a few times when I heard the crew slip and say “ship” before correcting themselves and saying “yacht.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. The staff of the Evrima did not know a travel writer was on board, and the Globe received no freebies or special treatment. I wanted to experience the Evrima like any other Jane Dough or Milburn Pennybags on the ship — I mean yacht.

No matter what it’s called, the Evrima is a wholly different species from other ships, beginning with the passenger count. It can hold 298 passengers (most small luxury ships carry between 700 to 2,000). My cruise was full, but the ship never felt crowded, and I often wondered if it was really sold out. I never had a problem finding a lounge chair at the pool or getting a table for dinner.

The most striking difference I found between Evrima and other ships was the onboard culture. There were no water slides, casinos, buffets, or Broadway shows. The Evrima is akin to a chic boutique hotel where you’d go to unwind without distractions. It’s designed for Ritz-Carlton loyalists, or folks who want to be in a posh hotel that happens to sail into different ports.

There’s a small infinity pool and hot tubs rather than a giant central swimming pool on the 624-foot yacht. There are even tucked-away areas on outside decks that you can seek out for a bit of privacy. Common areas, such as a main gathering called the Living Room, still felt intimate.

There are excursions off the ship, but when you’re on board, no cruise directors are dragging you to limbo contests or haranguing passengers over the PA about upcoming bingo games. It’s very much a place to escape rather than be pulled into the candy-colored machinations of a big cruise ship.

There’s a fair amount of chatter about the Evrima in online cruise forums, and the biggest complaints are from those who book expecting a full, traditional cruise experience. This will sound odd, but if you’re a regular cruiser who enjoys the flash and action of a ship, or you like your days jammed with nonstop activities planned by others, I’d say to steer clear of the Evrima. There are activities such as wine tastings, gourmet cooking challenges, and mixology classes, but no mini golf or pickleball.

What it lacks in conventional activities, it more than makes up for in an area called the Marina. When the yacht is anchored, the back deck on level three becomes a place to relax in the sun, jump into the water, snorkle, or kayak. It’s unlike any other cruise ship because you’re in relatively shallow water and you have full access to the ocean (depending on conditions). One day when the ship was in a lackluster port, I stayed onboard and hung out at the Marina. I went kayaking and snorkeling right off the back of the ship. It was the most yacht-like experience of the cruise.

I don’t mean to paint the environment on the Evrima as staid or anti-social. I was pulled into multiple birthday celebrations by complete strangers who became close friends by the end of the trip. Several of these celebrations lasted late into the night in the Observation Lounge, which was the venue on the 10th deck that stayed open past midnight. I suppose it didn’t hurt that the staff poured Moët & Chandon champagne like it was water. There’s no upcharge for alcohol (unless you have a taste for $2,500 spirits). There’s also no extra charges for internet or gratuities.

The Evrima is made up entirely of suites, all of them with balconies, that range in size from 300 square feet to 1,091 square feet. Most of the suites, aside from the entry-level Terrace suite, have bathtubs. These are cruise ship rooms that feel like hotel rooms, down to the king beds. Many of those who work in service on the ship come from the hotel world rather than other cruise ships, and their demeanor was just as friendly and professional.

Ritz-Carlton Evrima

• Small, easy-to-navigate ship
• Gourmet food
• Laidback, relaxing atmosphere
• Large suites with beautiful interiors
• Limited onboard activities
• Limited laundry facilities for guests
• Not ideal for families with small children

But people come on ships for the cuisine, and, as you may expect, the food on the Evrima is sophisticated. There are five restaurants (six if you count the bakery at the espresso bar), plus 24-hour room service. As a reporter, it was my duty to try them all. Even at the casual, all-day restaurant, the Pool House, you could get ceviche or a salmon poke bowl. They didn’t just serve burgers, there was a build-your-own-burger.

The Mediterranean-influenced restaurant Mistral offered options such as lobster linguine, several cuts of steak, and grilled octopus. Most passengers I chatted with spent the majority of their dining time at Mistral or Talaat Nam, the sushi restaurant. (I fell deeply in love with the mango sticky rice at Talaat Nam.) The all-purpose restaurant, called the Evrima Room, served breakfast and dinner. I mostly had breakfast here, and primarily for the orange juice, which was freshly squeezed.

The only restaurant on board with an extra charge is called S.E.A. It features a tasting menu and wine pairing created by three-Michelin-star chef Sven Elverfeld. For an additional $289, I enjoyed eight courses (maybe it was nine, it got blurry with the wine). Most were petite portions packed with flavor, such as raw and marinated yellowfin tuna and Japanese wagyu. I felt as if I was eating art for a night.

On the last night of my Caribbean cruise, I decided to ask other passengers their take on the ship. Did they think they had gotten their money’s worth? I went to the Observation Lounge where all the evening’s revelry was taking place, but clearly I was too late for serious answers. Jane, one of the many birthday celebrants, had pulled everyone onto the dance floor. I tried asking: “Was it worth it?” The reply was a champagne-scented chorus of “You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only 17.”

I took that as a yes.

Christopher Muther can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him @Chris_Muther and Instagram @chris_muther.

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Baltimore cruises to reroute after bridge collapse pauses port traffic

Carnival, royal caribbean will move some operations to norfolk while baltimore recovers from key bridge collapse.

Cruise lines are scrambling to make alternative plans and avoid the Port of Baltimore while officials suspend vessel traffic amid cleanup and rescue efforts around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

Three major cruise lines sail from Baltimore, though no ships were in port Tuesday morning. The next cruise was scheduled to depart Sunday, but its operator confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that the voyage would instead head out from Norfolk.

Amira M. Hairston, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore port, said in an email that the status of the upcoming cruise ship schedule is not yet known.

“At this time we do not know how long vessel traffic will be suspended. As soon as that is determined we will provide an update. Until then please keep those involved in your prayers,” Hairston wrote.

Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas left Saturday for a 12-night southern Caribbean cruise with plans to return April 4. The cruise line said in a statement Tuesday that it was “closely monitoring the situation, and our port logistics team is currently working on alternatives for Vision of the Seas’ ongoing and upcoming sailings.”

On Thursday, the cruise company said the current sailing would end in Norfolk.

“Our guests on board will be provided compensation and complimentary shuttle transportation as well as Wi-Fi and phone calls to adjust their travel arrangements,” Royal Caribbean said.

Upcoming cruises on April 4 and 12 will sail from Norfolk as well, and passengers will be compensated for the change. The ship was already scheduled for maintenance in the Bahamas after the April 12 cruise.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy and collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and extend our heartfelt prayers to all those impacted,” the company said.

Carnival Legend set off Sunday for a seven-day Bahamas cruise; the ship was scheduled to return March 31 and depart for its next sailing the same day. Instead of coming back to Baltimore, Carnival said late Tuesday, it will end its trip in Norfolk, and free buses will bring passengers back to Baltimore.

The ship’s next seven-day cruise will leave Norfolk and return to the port. In a news release , Carnival said it would temporarily move Baltimore operations to Norfolk “while Key Bridge rescue and cleanup efforts continue.”

“Our thoughts remain with the impacted families and first responders in Baltimore,” Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in a statement. “We appreciate the pledge made by President Biden today to dedicate all available resources to reopen Baltimore Harbor to marine traffic as soon as possible. As those plans are finalized, we will update our future cruise guests on when we will return home to Baltimore, but in the meantime, we appreciate the quick response and support from officials in Norfolk.”

Carnival Pride is supposed to start sailing from Baltimore next month, mostly to the Bahamas and eastern Caribbean.

Norwegian Cruise Line does not have cruises scheduled out of the port until later this year. American Cruise Lines, a U.S. river cruise operator, has Chesapeake Bay trips on small vessels scheduled from Baltimore starting in May. The cruise line said it will monitor developments “and make adjustments if needed.”

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said it was “deeply saddened” by the bridge collapse and was closely following the situation. “Right now, the most important thing to do is to allow the emergency workers to do their work,” the group wrote in a statement.

This year, 12 ships are scheduled to make a total of 115 calls at the Port of Baltimore, the industry association said. With room for roughly 2,000 or 2,100 passengers at double occupancy, most Baltimore-based ships are much smaller than the record-breaking behemoths that sail from Florida ports.

“Any adjustments to current cruise activity at the port will be announced as soon as available by the individual cruise lines,” CLIA said in its statement.

A news release issued last month by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s office said that more than 444,000 individuals cruised out of the Port of Baltimore last year, the most since 2012. The Maryland Port Administration said in a news release last year that the cruise industry generates nearly 400 jobs and $63 million in revenue every year for local businesses.

The port positions itself as a convenient option for cruising year-round, thanks to its location off Interstate 95 and plentiful parking. More than 40 million people live within a six-hour drive of the city, the port administration says.

Baltimore bridge collapse

How it happened: Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship . The container ship lost power shortly before hitting the bridge, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said. Video shows the bridge collapse in under 40 seconds.

Victims: Divers have recovered the bodies of two construction workers , officials said. They were fathers, husbands and hard workers . A mayday call from the ship prompted first responders to shut down traffic on the four-lane bridge, saving lives.

Economic impact: The collapse of the bridge severed ocean links to the Port of Baltimore, which provides about 20,000 jobs to the area . See how the collapse will disrupt the supply of cars, coal and other goods .

Rebuilding: The bridge, built in the 1970s , will probably take years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild , experts said.

Six presumed dead after cargo ship crash levels Baltimore bridge

BALTIMORE — A major Baltimore bridge collapsed like a house of cards early Tuesday after it was struck by a container ship, sending six people to their deaths in the dark waters below, and closing one of the country’s busiest ports.

By nightfall, the desperate search for six people who were working on the bridge and vanished when it fell apart had become a grim search for bodies.

“We do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,” Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon N. Gilreath said.

Jeffrey Pritzker, executive vice president of Brawner Builders, said earlier that one of his workers had survived. He did not release their names.

Up until then, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had held out hope that the missing people might be found even as law enforcement warned that the frigid water and the fact that there had been no sign of them since 1:30 a.m. when the ship struck Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Moore expressed heartbreak after officials suspended the search for survivors.

"Our heart goes out to the families," he said. "I can’t imagine how painful today has been for these families, how painful these hours have been have been for these families."

It was a crushing blow to the loved ones of the missing men, who had waited for hours at a Royal Farms convenience store near the entrance of the bridge for word of their fate. 

Follow live updates on the Baltimore bridge collapse

The tragic chain of events began early Tuesday when the cargo ship Dali notified authorities that it had lost power and issued a mayday moments before the 984-foot vessel slammed into a bridge support at a speed of 8 knots, which is about 9 mph.

Moore declared a state of emergency while rescue crews using sonar detected at least five vehicles in the frigid 50-foot-deep water: three passenger cars, a cement truck and another vehicle of some kind. Authorities do not believe anyone was inside the vehicles.

Investigators quickly concluded that it was an accident and not an act of terrorism.

Ship was involved in another collision

Earlier, two people were rescued from the water, Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace said. One was in good condition and refused treatment, he said. The other was seriously injured and was being treated in a trauma center.

Moore said other drivers might have been in the water had it not been for those who, upon hearing the mayday, blocked off the bridge and kept other vehicles from crossing.

“These people are heroes,” Moore said. “They saved lives.”

Nearly eight years ago, the Dali was involved in an accident. In July 2016, it struck a quay at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, damaging the quay.

The nautical commission investigated the accident, but the details of the inquiry were not immediately clear Tuesday.

The Dali is operated and managed by Synergy Group. In a statement, the company said that two port pilots were at the helm during Tuesday's crash and that all 22 crew members onboard were accounted for.

The Dali was chartered by the Danish shipping giant Maersk, which said it would have no choice but to send its ships to other nearby ports with the Port of Baltimore closed.

The bridge, which is about a mile and a half long and carries Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River southeast of Baltimore, was "fully up to code," Moore said.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said that her agency will lead the investigation and that a data recorder on the ship could provide more information.

"But right now we're focusing on the people, on the families," she said. "The rest can wait."

President Joe Biden vowed to rebuild the bridge and send federal funds.

"This is going to take some time," the president warned. "The people of Baltimore can count on us though to stick with them, at every step of the way, till the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt."

Speaking in Baltimore, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed the president's promise.

"This is no ordinary bridge," he said. "This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure."

But Buttigieg warned that replacing the bridge and reopening the port will take time and money and that it could affect supply chains.

The Port of Baltimore, the 11th largest in the U.S., is the busiest port for car imports and exports, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2023 alone, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration.

Writer David Simon, a champion of Baltimore who set his TV crime drama "The Wire" on the streets of the city he once covered as a reporter, warned online that the people who will suffer the most are those whose livelihoods depend on the port.

"Thinking first of the people on the bridge," Simon posted on X . "But the mind wanders to a port city strangling. All the people who rely on ships in and out."

Timeline of crash

Dramatic video captured the moment at 1:28 a.m. Tuesday when the Dali struck a support and sent the bridge tumbling into the water. A livestream showed cars and trucks on the bridge just before the strike. The ship did not sink, and its lights remained on.

Investigators said in a timeline that the Dali's lights suddenly shut off four minutes earlier before they came back on and that then, at 1:25 a.m. dark black smoke began billowing from the ship's chimney.

A minute later, at 1:26 a.m., the ship appeared to turn. And in the minutes before it slammed into the support, the lights flickered again.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the workers on the bridge were repairing concrete ducts when the ship crashed into the structure.

At least seven workers were pouring concrete to fix potholes on the roadway on the bridge directly above where the ship hit, said James Krutzfeldt, a foreman.

Earlier, the Coast Guard said it had received a report that a “motor vessel made impact with the bridge” and confirmed it was the Dali, a containership sailing under a Singaporean flag that was heading for Sri Lanka.

Bobby Haines, who lives in Dundalk in Baltimore County, said he felt the impact of the bridge collapse from his house nearby.

"I woke up at 1:30 this morning and my house shook, and I was freaking out," he said. "I thought it was an earthquake, and to find out it was a bridge is really, really scary."

Families of bridge workers wait for updates

Earlier in the day, relatives of the construction crew waited for updates on their loved ones.

Marian Del Carmen Castellon told Telemundo her husband, Miguel Luna, 49, was working on the bridge.

“They only tell us that we have to wait and that they can’t give us information,” she said.

Castellon said she was "devastated, devastated because our heart is broken, because we don’t know how they have been rescued yet. We are just waiting for the news."

Luna's co-worker Jesús Campos said he felt crushed, too.

“It hurts my heart to see what is happening. We are human beings, and they are my folks,” he said.

Campos told The Baltimore Banner that the missing men are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

Active search and rescue ends

The Coast Guard said it was suspending the active search-and-rescue effort at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"Coast Guard’s not going away, none of our partners are going away, but we’re just going to transition into a different phase," Gilreath said at a news conference.

Maryland State Police Superintendent Roland L. Butler, Jr., said it was moving to a recovery operation. Changing conditions have made it dangerous for divers, he said. 

Butler pledged to "do our very best to recover those six missing people," but the conditions are difficult.

"If we look at how challenging it is at a simple motor vehicle crash to extract an individual, I'm sure we can all imagine how much harder it is to do it in inclement weather, when it's cold, under the water, with very limited to no visibility," he said.

"There's a tremendous amount of debris in the water," which can include sharp metal and other hazards, and that could take time, Butler said.

'A long road in front of us'

Built in 1977 and referred to locally as the Key Bridge, the structure was later named after the author of the American national anthem.

The bridge is more than 8,500 feet long, or 1.6 miles. Its main section spans 1,200 feet, and it was one of the longest continuous truss bridges in the world upon its completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance .

About 31,000 vehicles a day use the bridge, which equals 11.3 million vehicles per year, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

The river and the Port of Baltimore are both key to the shipping industry on the East Coast, generating more than $3.3 billion a year and directly employing more than 15,000 people.

Asked what people in Baltimore can expect going forward, the state's transportation secretary said it is too early to tell.

"Obviously we reached out to a number of engineering companies, so obviously we have a long road in front of us," Wiedefeld said.

Julia Jester reported from Baltimore, Patrick Smith from London, Corky Siemaszko from New York and Phil Helsel from Los Angeles.

Julia Jester is a producer for NBC News based in Washington, D.C.

Patrick Smith is a London-based editor and reporter for NBC News Digital.

Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.

Yacht Mark Twain being refurbished in bid to compete in Sydney to Hobart race once more

For the better part of five decades, one yacht returned to the starting line of the Sydney to Hobart race more than any other.

The timber and fibreglass hulled Mark Twain was built in 1971 and has competed in the race a record-breaking 26 times.

But since its last effort in 2018, it has languished at port.

The yacht's new owner, Rob Payne, who refers to himself as the boat's custodian, has grand plans to refurbish the vessel, a Sparkman and Stephens 39, and return the Mark Twain to its former glory.

Although he hopes to return the boat to the starting line of the Sydney to Hobart, he also believes the yacht can be used for a greater good.

Along with Beaconsfield mine disaster survivor Brant Webb , Mr Payne has plans to establish a group called Old Saltys, which will aim to use sailing as a vessel to empower youth through sharing knowledge.

"Sailing is a metaphor for life. You've got to trim your sails and set your course and you're gonna get buffeted around," he said.

The Old Salty's motto will be 'well-weathered wisdom', and the men believe they have a lot of life experience they can share with young people anywhere Mark Twain can sail.

Mine collapse survivor finds solace on the sea

Brant Webb, who was one of two miners rescued after spending 14 days trapped almost a kilometre underground when a Tasmanian mine collapsed in 2006, says sailing helped him after the ordeal.

"After Beaconsfield, if I was having a bad day I'd call up the GP and he'd say 'get the boat ready, we're going sailing'.

"I've been sailing since I was eight years old. All my life. That's the great thing about it, you can turn your phone off out there and no-one can find you."

Mr Webb said the Old Saltys group was intended for "sailors who are too old to race and too young to cruise".

"It gives us old folk a new lease on life. The whole thing is to connect people, to put the unity in community, which we lost during COVID."

Mr Payne, a recent transplant from New Zealand, said he was heartbroken by the condition of the Mark Twain when he first found it in 2020.

"When I saw it, it broke my heart," he said, adding that he had the opportunity to "do something about" refurbishing the "old girl".

"We're only ever the custodians of these extraordinary vessels."

Once a fine racing yacht, the Mark Twain had fallen into disrepair in port at George Town in recent years.

From its first entry in the Sydney to Hobart in 1971, the boat long held the steadily increasing record for the greatest number of entries in the iconic race, even managing to clinch podium finishes for its class on several occasions.

Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, it competed in more than 20 Sydney to Hobart races, and in 2002 became the first-ever boat to have sailed in 25.

"Thousands of men and women have sailed on this beautiful vessel," Mr Payne said.

It was bought and refurbished for its 26th entry by veteran Sydney to Hobart skipper Michael Spies in 2018, but that was the last time it took part.

Mr Payne spent several months last year refurbishing the boat's hull himself and on Wednesday, March 27, the mast and boom were removed to be restored by a Beauty Point shipwright.

Along with Mr Webb, he hopes to take the Mark Twain around Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand and share their knowledge of the seas.

"My encouragement to youth is to get into sailing and you know, become part of the community within those sailing clubs," Mr Payne said.

"You don't necessarily have to own a huge boat … you can be in a little sabot [dinghy] and have that experience on the water. It's life changing and transformational."

He is keen to share the refurbishment project with anyone who wants to be involved and hopes the Mark Twain will sail again in the next two to three years.

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Watch CBS News

Carnival cruise ship catches fire for the second time in 2 years

By Emily Mae Czachor

Updated on: March 25, 2024 / 9:57 AM EDT / CBS News

A Carnival cruise ship will be out of commission for repairs for at least a week after its exhaust funnel caught fire and partially collapsed Saturday during a trip to the Bahamas. It marked the second time in just under two years that the funnel on this same ship, the Carnival Freedom, went up in flames while carrying passengers. 

What caused the most recent incident is still being investigated, according to the cruise company. No one on board the ship was injured, but Carnival said two fire crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

The Carnival Freedom left from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday and was supposed to travel for several days through the Bahamas before returning Monday to Port Canaveral. It was not immediately clear how many passengers and crew were on board the Freedom when the fire erupted, but the cruise ship can accommodate 2,980 guests and 1,150 crew members at capacity. CBS News contacted Carnival for more information.

The ship initially reported a fire at around 3:15 p.m. EDT on Saturday, on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel as it sailed 20 miles off of the Bahamas' Eleuthera Island en route to Freeport, the company said in a statement. It had changed course to turn toward Freeport, at the northern tip of the island chain, after cancelling a stop farther south in Princess Cays because of bad weather. Eyewitnesses said that a lightning strike may have sparked the fire, a claim that Carnival said "is being investigated but cannot yet be confirmed."

A fire response team was activated quickly to put out the blaze once it broke out, as the Freedom's captain shifted the cruise liner toward the heavy rain nearby in hopes that would help. The fire was extinguished by 5:20 p.m., Carnival said, including flames from a portion of the funnel that broke off and fell onto one of the ship decks. Funnels are essentially used as smokestacks or chimneys to expel fumes and engine exhaust.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the Carnival Freedom crew was able to extinguish the fire Saturday without their help. They were aware of the fire, though, and issued a Captain of the Port order to the cruise ship before it was scheduled to enter Port Canaveral, Florida, on Monday. Captain of the Port orders are  broad mandates that the Marine Safety and Security Council describes as a tool granting Coast Guard crews "with operational controls over an emergent situation posing safety, security, or environmental risks."

 "We are continuing to monitor the situation," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Although Carnival said at first that it did not expect the fire to impact trips on the Freedom cruise set to depart Port Canaveral on Monday and Friday, a technical assessment carried out in Freeport on Sunday revealed more significant damage to the ship than they originally thought. The damage would "require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel" after disembarking guests in Port Canaveral on Monday, the company said in an updated statement following the assessment. 

"The funnel has been stabilized for the ship's return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs," Carnival said on Sunday. "We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation." 

Both Carnival Freedom cruises scheduled for this week have been cancelled. Carnival said guests who had booked those cruises would receive full refunds and future cruise credits.

The Carnival Freedom's exhaust funnel last went up in flames less than two years ago, in May 2022. It was in Grand Turk at the time, during a planned five-day trip from Port Canaveral. The ship had 2,504 guests and 972 crew on board, Carnival said at the time. None of the passengers or crew were hurt.

• Cruise Ship

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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The Dali was just starting a 27-day voyage.

The ship had spent two days in Baltimore’s port before setting off.

• Share full article

By Claire Moses and Jenny Gross

• Published March 26, 2024 Updated March 27, 2024

The Dali was less than 30 minutes into its planned 27-day journey when the ship ran into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday.

The ship, which was sailing under the Singaporean flag, was on its way to Sri Lanka and was supposed to arrive there on April 22, according to VesselFinder, a ship tracking website.

The Dali, which is nearly 1,000 feet long, left the Baltimore port around 1 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday. The ship had two pilots onboard, according to a statement by its owners, Grace Ocean Investment. There were 22 crew members on board, the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement. There were no reports of any injuries, Grace Ocean said.

Before heading off on its voyage, the Dali had returned to the United States from Panama on March 19, harboring in New York. It then arrived on Saturday in Baltimore, where it spent two days in the port.

Maersk, the shipping giant, said in a statement on Tuesday that it had chartered the vessel, which was carrying Maersk cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard, the statement said, adding that the company was monitoring the investigations being carried out by the authorities and by Synergy Group, the company that was operating the vessel.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” the Maersk statement said.

The Dali was built in 2015 by the South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries. The following year, the ship was involved in a minor incident when it hit a stone wall at the port of Antwerp . The Dali sustained damage at the time, but no one was injured.

Claire Moses is a reporter for the Express desk in London. More about Claire Moses

Jenny Gross is a reporter for The Times in London covering breaking news and other topics. More about Jenny Gross