While some waterspouts are strong (tornadic) like their land-based counterparts, most are much weaker and caused by different atmospheric dynamics.

They normally develop in moisture-laden environments as their parent clouds are in the process of development, and it is theorized that they spin up as they move up the surface boundary from the horizontal shear near the surface, and then stretch upwards to the cloud once the low level shear vortex aligns with a developing cumulus or thunderstorm. (source Wikipedia).

Stan also managed to photograph three ships that passed close by on the weekend.

These included the container vessel OOCL Yokohama, a bulk carrier named Genciana and finally a Maersk container ship, but did not close enough to get the name.