06-08-2018, 03:48 PM
As a pilot Ive been keen on weather phenomenon for many years, but I think there are probably many more terrestrial effects on weather than what the ocean provides. Aside from occluded or fast moving fronts, hurricanes or typhoons (low pressure), near shore terrestrial influences, and large scale heating and cooling of the waters surface, what in the world causes instability over the oceans??? I would suggest ocean weather is more difficult to predict without instruments. Where did the old saying come from... "red sky at night sailors delight; red skies in the morning sailors take warning." Thats a pretty broad weather pattern statement, but I assume it came from long experience.
Wind shifts, rapid temperature changes, cloud formations, and general weather intensity do more to key in captains than anything else. Regional weather anticipation helps a captain trim the ship for best sailing. These days taking in the sheets is done in minutes, but in bygone sailing days it could take 30 minutes to an hour or more to bring a three or four masted ship to heavy weather readiness or heave to - a lot could happen in that time so perhaps captains were much more in tune with the weather than we are today. As pilots we are taught to get ahead of the airplane; Im sure it was just as important for a ships captain to get well ahead of the ship.
Off the East coast of Florida I saw seven huge water spouts lined up in a row sucking ocean into the air... they were about three miles away, but the weather over us was just fine.... Where did they come from? I have no idea.
Thats about as far as my thinking takes me
joe
Wind shifts, rapid temperature changes, cloud formations, and general weather intensity do more to key in captains than anything else. Regional weather anticipation helps a captain trim the ship for best sailing. These days taking in the sheets is done in minutes, but in bygone sailing days it could take 30 minutes to an hour or more to bring a three or four masted ship to heavy weather readiness or heave to - a lot could happen in that time so perhaps captains were much more in tune with the weather than we are today. As pilots we are taught to get ahead of the airplane; Im sure it was just as important for a ships captain to get well ahead of the ship.
Off the East coast of Florida I saw seven huge water spouts lined up in a row sucking ocean into the air... they were about three miles away, but the weather over us was just fine.... Where did they come from? I have no idea.
Thats about as far as my thinking takes me
joe