The Shipping Forecast

The Shipping Forecast

Saturday 10/10/2020 (had to write it this way to take advantage of the symmetry.)

It’s probably obvious that good weather forecasting is key to this adventure. We now use a number of sources for weather reports, hoping that we will find consensus in their predictions. 

Having just had our friend Will aboard, I was reminded of the shipping forecast provided by the UK Met office.  The importance of maritime forecasts to the British Isles is such that the Meteorological office has been issuing forecasts since 1861 following a terrible shipwreck off Anglesey in which 450 lives were lost.  At that time the forecast was transmitted by telegraph.  For many years now, the shipping forecast has been broadcast on BBC Radio Four at three times during the day. The seas around the UK are divided into 31 regions (with almost magical sounding names) that extend from near Iceland to the north of Spain.  The broadcast has a set format starting with announcement of the gale warnings.  The next segment is a general synopsis of the weather situation.  This is followed by the area forecasts that give the wind direction and speed, the sea state and weather followed by visibility.  There is a lot of very specific language around both the conditions and the timing—imminent, soon or later are associated with defined time windows.

The strange thing about the UK shipping forecast is that the radio broadcast has quite a following.  People make a point of tuning in to hear it, even though they may have no association with the sea. Perhaps it’s because nothing can make you feel more snug in your current environment than hearing: “There are warnings of gales in Viking, North Utsira, South Utsira, Forties ....”

p.s We dropped Will ashore this morning so he could catch his flight from La Guardia back to California. The drop off didn't exactly go as planned ... there was a dinghy dock at the marina on the east end of Coney Island Creek but the whole marina was fenced off and locked up from the road. So we ended up dropping him on some rocks (and glass bottles, dead fish etc) and he scrambled up a slime encrusted ladder to the road and on to the subway station! It was a memorable finish to a lovely visit. We then pulled up the anchor which was thick with stinking glutinous black mud and motored south across the Bay to Atlantic Highlands. We'll stay here a couple of days whilst we wait for a weather window for the 120 mile offshore passage to Cape May.

Gloria

40 25.017 N, 74 01.277 W

The east end of Coney Island Creek - you can see the marina where we wanted to drop Will ... instead we ended up pulling up on the rocks on the right edge of the photo

Approaching Atlantic Highlands after a wet and bumpy motor right into the wind ... and of course more tugs and  barges!