Brainstorming
Evidence and common sense would tell us that to be a good and safe navigator, you would also have to be or become a good and safe meteorologist!
That is to say, to know and master as well as possible what are:
- The atmosphere: composition-stratification-density-density-temperature-humidity-latitude-lattitude-longitude-gradients...
- Pressures and Fronts: high and low pressures - cold, warm, occluded fronts...
- Winds: Beaufort-force scale of Coriolis-the breezes, foehn, sirocco, tramontane, mistral...
- Clouds: high-middle-low-cirrostratus-altostratus-stratocumulus-cumulonimbus-nimbostratus-stratus-cumulus....
- Atmospheric phenomena: snow-snow-hail-hail-fog-mist- rainbow-aurore- storm- lightning-thunder....
- Climates: tropical-arid-temperate-polar....
- The Sea, The Waves: wavelength-height-height-peak-peak....
To know how to interpret all these phenomena properly, again or in addition, you would have to be a good mathematician and statistician.....
So, even the most experienced and knowledgeable navigator refers to weather station forecasts and bulletins that broadcast in different forms (Internet- VHF- BLU etc...)
Currently, there are about ten thousand land-based monitoring stations that monitor air movements and four thousand others installed on board ships in the open ocean or on floating power plants located at strategic points around the world. In addition, there are hundreds of satellites that continuously analyze the atmosphere with highly sophisticated instruments. The whole system is connected 24 hours a day to the data processing centres where the staff working there have extremely powerful computers.
However, no meteorologist worthy of the name can predict the weather with any certainty. And even less so if it is required to be valid for more than 24 or 36 hours at most. Any weather professional knows very well that in this field you cannot be sure of tomorrow, or even of the stability of the weather the same day.
Knowing all this, a good navigator must always act with GOOD SENSE!
He must favour prudence and security over casualness.
So,
Before boarding and casting off, find out more and make sure you check the weather.
Good navigation
Gil Berninet Romain - Vice-President of the Association
