Wow, I can’t believe it’s been one year since my first blog post! It seems like only yesterday. Though, it is quite bittersweet that this is also the day that the SS United States finally left Philadelphia on the first leg of her sad final voyage (but that’s a separate post).
The last 12 months have been a real learning experience. Over the 39 blog posts I’ve written (40 if you count this one), I feel like I’ve really started to get my own style and voice down. I’ve always enjoyed writing but have traditionally struggled to do it consistently. Honestly, I still struggle with it. But it’s thankfully gotten a lot easier.
The blog has also been a nice diversion over the last year. I changed jobs in April 2024, in which I got out of a toxic situation and a position I hated. It was having negative effects on my health too. The Captain’s Table has really helped me to reconnect with my old interests and, quite honestly, recover from that whole ordeal.
But enough about that. Let’s talk more about the blog.
How’d It Start?
Almost 15 years ago, I started the first version of The Captain’s Table on Blogger. I was working as a tour guide aboard the Queen Mary at the time and found it to be a great way to deepen my knowledge of maritime history. I’ve loved ships (and especially ocean liners) for as long as I can remember. But unfortunately, the blog fell by the wayside after I left the Queen Mary for grad school in Washington, DC.
It wasn’t until January 2024 that I thought about starting The Captain’s Table up again. While waiting to board the Norwegian Jade in Tampa, I decided to read up on the 1965 Yarmouth Castle disaster. Ever since my wife and I took our first cruise in January 2019, I’ve researched a maritime disaster before boarding the ship (it’s a lot like how people read about airplane crashes before getting on a flight). Reading about the Yarmouth Castle really rekindled my old interest in maritime history.
After getting back from that cruise, I started collecting everything I could find about the Yarmouth Castle: photos, slides, postcards, newspaper articles, etc. Eventually my wife suggested I start the blog up again. So, just about a month after waiting to board Norwegian Jade, that’s exactly what I did. Big thanks to Teresa (my wife) and my mom for letting me run ideas and drafts by them on a regular basis.
To support the blog, I set up several social media accounts. I’d already had a Facebook page for the earlier blog but set up Instagram and Pinterest accounts too. It’s been really fun to run those in addition to this blog, and I’ve met some pretty cool people through them as well.
How’s It Going?
I know it takes a good while for something like a blog to get off the ground. After a (sometimes frustratingly) slow start, I feel like things are certainly starting to pick up. At the time of this writing, I’m just at exactly 2,500 page views. People from 49 countries have looked at The Captain’s Table. Wow! This includes places like Turkey, Vietnam, Lithuania, Tanzania, the Åland Islands, Oman, Nigeria, and Pakistan. The page’s biggest audience is located in the United States. This is followed by the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and Sweden. Again…wow!
Social media has also dramatically taken off. At the time of writing, the Facebook page has 13,594 followers and 605 likes. Instagram has 1,308 followers. On Facebook especially, I’ve had a few reels go viral rather unexpectedly after posting about the Edmund Fitzgerald anniversary in November. It happened again recently with posts about the SS United States and its move.
I’m somewhat technologically impaired (especially for a Millennial) and am still learning things about building websites. But did you notice that there’s now a search bar on the home page? I was so happy when I finally figured out how to do that. It’s been fun just playing around and experimenting with different features, designs, etc.
As mentioned earlier, I still struggle with writing consistently. Writer’s block seems to come at the most inopportune times. I’m also still trying to figure out the best posting schedule too. The analytics report tells me that Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 pm or 9 pm are the best times to post. But I’m curious, when do you usually look at this blog? Please let me know in the comments below!
What’s Next?
So, what does the future bring?
I want to continue growing this page and expanding its reach. I’m currently averaging about 208 page views per month. That’s great, but I’d love to get that up to 500. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do that, though. Please leave me a comment if you have any ideas or suggestions! I’d greatly appreciate it.
I’d like to continue homing in on my niche. There are a lot of maritime history and ocean liner blogs out there, and it can be a challenge to stand out. I think I have a unique way of looking at things, though, which lends itself to coming up with creative content. But I also think by writing what I’m most interested in, that that will draw in audiences. I’ve also been thinking about making some short reels and videos for YouTube too.
We also have some cool trips coming up, which I think will lead to some good and interesting content. This includes a cruise on the Wonder of the Seas in November to coincide with the Yarmouth Castle 60th Anniversary. A friend of mine suggested turning that into a group cruise. I think it’s a great idea, but I have no idea where to even start. But maybe it’s possible? Stay tuned!
Thank You!
Really, I just want to thank everyone for their support over the past year. I really appreciate it! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the content so far and will continue to enjoy it moving forward. I’ve really liked researching and writing them!
To continue supporting The Captain’s Table, please share my blog posts and follow me on social media (you can find those links here).
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