The Skeptics Society & Skeptic magazine

INSIDE SKEPTIC

in this issue

Ghost Ships!

• Superstitions of the Sea
• The Flying Dutchman
• Real Ghost Ships
• Dangerous Drifters
• The Mary Celeste
• The Admiralty Court
• Sloppy, Wrong, and Blatantly Dishonest
• Final Fate

By Daniel Loxton. This issue’s cover features a digital painting by Daniel Loxton.

from the Introduction

Hello!

Today we’re leaving safe shores far behind, and sailing out over the waves in search of the sea’s eeriest mysteries. Imagine the ocean at night, a thousand miles from the nearest city light. Imagine cold salt wind on your face, sails overhead, a creaking deck beneath your feet. Suddenly a shadow looms out of the darkness, masts and tattered sails silhouetted against the sky. Your crew shouts in alarm, spinning the wheel to avoid a collision. A strange ship slides by. It is silent and empty, without a living soul on board. Passing like a phantom, it vanishes into the night. What just happened? Can tales of ghost ships be explained? Let’s find out!