Users of Navtex on the West Coast of Scotland

[NormanS]

Will be pleased to know that in addition to the transmissions from Portpatrick, Malin Head is now issuing the Inshore Forecast on the "National" 490 kHz frequency.

The service from Portpatrick tended to be patchy, particularly up the mainland coast, north of Ardnamurchan. Malin head, being that bit further west, should give a more reliable service.

The identifying letter for Malin Head is "A", and the forecast is transmitted at 0000 UTC, and then every four hours.

 

[awol]

Whoopee! That, hopefully is the end to forecasts to St David's Head but no further. Now all we need is for the forecasts to be right.

 

[Lady Campanula]

There's a shy and retiring bunch of worthies who discuss with the MCA what should be in the Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts, when they should be, and who should transmit them. Among these guys, apparently, are occasional visitors to these pages Frank Singleton, Basil D'Oliveira OBE, and Stuart Carruthers of RYA Towers fame.

Changes to the Shipping Forecasts i.r.o. the waters around Shetland, the Outer Hebrides and the Minches are the result of their lobbying the MCA.

According to the MCA, what they discuss, propose and recommend on our behalf is 'Not in the public domain' and not for release.

So remember to knuckle your forelock, shipmates.....

 

[Gwylan]

Great news about the west coast improvement
How about something on the speed at which R4 delivers the forecast? Seems generally to be a touch over dictation speed. too fast for me to actually write it down except in a scarcely decipherable short hand.

 

[Lady Campanula]

How about something on the speed at which R4 delivers the forecast? Seems generally to be a touch over dictation speed. too fast for me to actually write it down except in a scarcely decipherable short hand.

Er, who's first......?

 

[stevepick]

Great news about the west coast improvement
How about something on the speed at which R4 delivers the forecast? Seems generally to be a touch over dictation speed. too fast for me to actually write it down except in a scarcely decipherable short hand.

Gwylan

The R4 forecast is read at a speed to allow use of a chart / table like the one on the link below:
http://www.rya.org.uk/sitecollectiondocuments/marketing/Web Documents/Met_Maps.pdf

The table/chart above can be filled out as the forecast is read, and doesnt require the full forecast to be written down.It used to taught as part of the RYA courses how to fill this in and generate your own synoptic chart, don't know if it is still part of the course ( ocean ones maybe?) but its a usefull skill to develop and takes very little time.

Print out a few, keep them on the boat and try to forecast tommorrows weather yourself one night when you are in a quiet anchorage, I find it very satisfying.

Steve

PS thats good news on the Navtex finally being transmitted properly to NW scotland - I might buy one now!

 

[NormanS]

Gwylan

The R4 forecast is read at a speed to allow use of a chart / table like the one on the link below:
http://www.rya.org.uk/sitecollectiondocuments/marketing/Web Documents/Met_Maps.pdf

The table/chart above can be filled out as the forecast is read, and doesnt require the full forecast to be written down.It used to taught as part of the RYA courses how to fill this in and generate your own synoptic chart, don't know if it is still part of the course ( ocean ones maybe?) but its a usefull skill to develop and takes very little time.

Print out a few, keep them on the boat and try to forecast tommorrows weather yourself one night when you are in a quiet anchorage, I find it very satisfying.

Steve

PS thats good news on the Navtex finally being transmitted properly to NW scotland - I might buy one now!

Try drawing a synoptic chart, relevant to the West Coast, when the General Synopsis says "Low, German Bight, moving away and filling". (And nothing else). Grrrrrrrr.

 

[Lady Campanula]

"And now the reports from coastal stations..."



Actually, this recalls fond memories of being perched all hunched-up in the saloon of a 'Windfall' boat anchored behind Ile de Brehat, paraffin lamps guttering, dark cloud scudding past a shimmering, halo'ed moon, a steady half-gale blowing and a wild night ahead, trying to work out what's coming and what's going, what the sea state might be like at dawn, whether we'd be going anywhere in the morning, and who'd be first on anchor watch....

"Chante ta chanson, chante, bonne vieille !
La lune se lève et la mer s'éveille...."

Real yacht masters.

 

[webcraft]

Gwylan

The R4 forecast is read at a speed to allow use of a chart / table like the one on the link below:
http://www.rya.org.uk/sitecollectiondocuments/marketing/Web Documents/Met_Maps.pdf

The table/chart above can be filled out as the forecast is read, and doesnt require the full forecast to be written down.It used to taught as part of the RYA courses how to fill this in and generate your own synoptic chart, don't know if it is still part of the course ( ocean ones maybe?) but its a usefull skill to develop and takes very little time.

Print out a few, keep them on the boat and try to forecast tommorrows weather yourself one night when you are in a quiet anchorage, I find it very satisfying.

Steve

PS thats good news on the Navtex finally being transmitted properly to NW scotland - I might buy one now!

I was taken by surprise when asked to do this during my YM exam five years ago - hadn't done it for years, but I guess it does show at least a rudimentary understanding of the weather and some RYA examiners obviously still like it.

- W