Adnams

Just heard the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio.... oooh that takes me back especially when they play sailing by.

"Silly Automatic, wind variable north or west occasionally poor.....Greenwich Light Vessel Automatic..." Only in Dear old Blighty.

Anyone else out there know what I mean?

Elvira

<<<sigh>>>

"That was the news, and now 'attention all shipping', especially in sea areas German Bight and Humber: The Met Office issued the following gale warning to shipping at 2206 today. German Bight, west or northwest gale 8 to storm 10, expected imminent. Humber, west gale 8 or severe gale 9, expected soon. That completes the gale warning."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/shipping/

http://mp3.juno.co.uk/MP3/SF210480-01-02-16.mp3

Adnams

Its perfect isnt it? Fisher German Bight falling slowly...North North West Rising Slowly. Does anyone actually know what it all means? Love it love it love it Although its totally inscrutable - but thats Brits for ya.

Ray

Its just she shipping forecast around the UK ...
The waters around the British Isles are divided into sea areas, also known as weather areas.....see map below

Jaxbar

They regularly play Sailing Away on NPR (National Public Radio) and I always stop to listen. Amazing how something that used to appear nonsensical can now conjure up such nostalgia. Dogger Fisher German Bight or whatever We never knew what it meant but we always knew what it MEANT

Ray

And now the Shipping Forecast issued by the Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, at 0505 on Friday 08 June 2007.

The general synopsis at 0100:
Stationary high norwegian sea 1029. Slow moving low belgium 1013, filling 1015 by 0100 tomorrow.

The area forecasts for the next 24 hours:

Viking:
Northeast 3 or 4. Slight or moderate. Showers, fog patches at first. moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Utsire South Utsire:
Variable mainly northeast 3 or 4. Smooth or slight. Thundery showers later. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Forties Cromarty Forth Tyne Dogger:
North or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in Tyne and Dogger later. slight or moderate. Thundery showers, fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fisher German Bight:
East or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in German Bight. Smooth or slight. Thundery showers. Moderate or good.

Humber Thames Dover:
North becoming cyclonic 5 or 6, decreasing 4 or 5 later. Slight or moderate. Fog patches, thundery rain. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Wight Portland:
North backing west 3 or 4. Smooth or slight. Fog patches, thundery rain in Wight at first. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Plymouth:
East becoming variable 3 or 4. Smooth or slight. Fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Biscay:
Northeast 3 or 4. Slight. Isolated showers, fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fitzroy Sole:
Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in southwest Fitzroy. slight or moderate. Showers, fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Lundy:
Variable 3 or less. Smooth or slight. Fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fastnet:
East or southeast 3 or 4. Slight or moderate. Fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Irish Sea:
Variable 3 or less. Smooth. Fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon Rockall:
Variable mainly southeast 3 or 4. Slight or moderate. Showers, fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Malin Hebrides:
Northeast becoming variable 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in Hebrides. Slight or moderate. Isolated showers, fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Bailey:
East or southeast 3 or 4. Slight or moderate. Showers, fog patches. moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fair Isle:
Northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5. Slight or moderate. Showers, fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes Southeast Iceland:
Variable mainly east 3 or 4. Slight or moderate. Occasional rain in Southeast Iceland, fog patches. Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.



This file is updated 4 times a day at or after approximately 0015, 0505, 1130 and 1725. It is read out on Radio 4 at 0048, 0520, 1201 and 1754 (local time). All broadcasts are on LW on 1515m (198 kHz) and some transmissions are on VHF. You can also listen using the link on our website. It gives a summary of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and area forecasts for specified sea areas around the UK. The radio bulletin also includes the coastal weather reports (0048 and 0536 only) but these are not currently available on our site.

The music played before the Shipping Forecast is 'Sailing By' composed by Ronald Binge. Unfortunately, the version of 'Sailing By' we use is not available commercially. However, a similar recording, featuring the late Ronnie Aldrich on the piano, has been issued by: Seaward Records Ltd, Strathallan Castle, Port St Mary, Isle of Man. The tune is also available on a CD, 'The Music of Ronald Binge', from Marco Polo Records, number 8.223515.

Ray

Now thee is a challenge ... who would care to voice record themselves in the BBC tradition reading a part of the shipping forecast ...

I am not sure if my voice is of the type ...

snowbunny

It sounds like a sort of religious incantation that becomes part of a ritual. I've read that it's one of the taken-for-granted background themes of British life.

penguinsix

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ukweath...g_forecast.ram

You can always listen.

I live on the Chesapeake Bay so we often get weather warnings on the marine band radio we have here. Sometimes we get Coast Guard warnings of rescues underway and the such "Jet Ski located--no driver found. Coordinates...... All vessels be on the lookout".

Adnams

Nor my voice. You have to have perfect received pronunciation to pull it off. Aaah the beeb....

TouristTrap

Reminds me of that Brit show with Judy Densch and Geoffrey someone or other.

His father's eccentric housekeeper who kept giving them the shipping forecast.

Mallory

Mrs. Bale.

Patrick Hasler

Reminds me of my childhood days
Every year we would go on 2 weeks holiday to Dublin, courtesy of British Railways who my Dad worked for, it would take all day to get from Northampton sation to westland row station via either the Canbria or Hibernia, Holyhead to Dun Laghory (think thats how it was spelt) My Dad waould be glued to the shipping forecast the whol day before and the morning we left.
It was only 3 hours on the Irish sea for f**k sakes

Adnams

But you love 'im really

leonatlanta

this must've been before the advent of the T.V then?