You nailed that one, Mike...
From our server stats: "Most users ever online was 581, 12-22-2008 at 06:29 am."
We don't keep official records of this but recollection that the record on the old site was in the low to mid- 500's, so chances are that was an all-time record yesterday.
That's odd, to tell you the truth, because our traffic patterns follow the work day from east coast heading west. Evenings and weekends are lighter. I wonder if that's a comment on sailors specifically, or working stiffs in general.