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Weather - Tropical Storms


travellovers2
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The satellites are showing some of these tropical storms headed to the UK, one is shown to be just west of it now, between the UK and Ireland. Florence seems to be taking that path as well. Can anyone tell me what is being said about these storms reaching that area? We have a cruise departing Southampton on Sept 30th. I am a bit concerned about the weather cruising down to Spain. Thank you

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For western Europe, and especially the UK, forecasting 13 days ahead isn't really possible.

Even 13 minutes ahead can be a bit hit-and-miss :D

 

Weather can track north or south by a few degrees and any strong winds and heavy rainfall predicted for, say, Southampton can be deposited on the Midlands and leave Southampton in balmy sunshine. :)

Or vice-versa :(

 

When it comes to ships coping with heavy swells, a good big 'un is a lot better than a good little 'un.

If you're unlucky, those on ferries & fishing boats will be a lot unluckier.

 

JB :)

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We sailed south towards the Med, mid October last year and we passed the tail end of a hurricane en route in the Bay of Biscay (the area between western France and Northern Spain). We sailed into the bay and slowed down to miss the worst of the track and much say it was not as bad as I would have expected. We were on a small ship (28,00 ton), but an old ship that does not have a problematic flat bottom like the newer cruise ships, which was to our benefit. Always best to book a cabin mid ship when heading through the Bay IMO as it does have a bit of a reputation and seas are worse on average in the autumn with swell coming from the stormy areas of the Atlantic at that time. Even the Med can get storms in the autumn/winter, but will be calm most of the time. As stated though, even the Bay could be completely calm. Just make sure you have some sea sickness tablets with you. Stugeron are pretty good and can be bought over the counter in Chemist shops (pharmacies) in the UK.

 

We do not get hurricanes like on the other side of the Atlantic as they have weakened considerably as they track north over cooler waters. It was highly unusual last October to have one that was still being called a hurricane, rather than a storm and we are a fair way from the tropics, so do not get tropical storms either. The most likely problem with storms is that you may have to miss a port, especially if there are tender transfers (e.g. for northern Scotland) and the ship can be delayed with needing to re route a bit or just slow down.

Edited by tring
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We do not get hurricanes like on the other side of the Atlantic ...
Hello, Michael Fish! Is that really you? ;)

 

I agree with John Bull that there is really no point even wondering about what the weather will be like in two weeks' time. And this last storm (Helene) also demonstrates how localised any effects can be: the Met Office yellow warning (possible risk to life) was for the western part of the country, but here in the south-east we were being promised warm sunshine and soft breezes. Fortunately, we got what we were told we'd get, but the part of the country that might have been storm-affected was reprieved.

 

About 10 years ago, we did a cruise to northern Spain and back. Two crossings of the Bay of Biscay in a week. On the way south, we had a force 10 storm. And because we were asked to assist in a rescue from a dismasted yacht, we had to divert from the course that was set to ride most smoothly through the weather, and instead take the brunt of it. (I enjoyed watching all of that from the very front of the ship on the highest enclosed deck, but I'm like that.) On the way back, it was like a millpond.

 

In short, you really cannot tell.

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Hello, Michael Fish! Is that really you? ;)

 

 

Ok I get your point, though are friends from the other side of the Atlantic may not:)

 

Seriously though, I did say we had encountered a hurricane last October, but it was highly unusual, which is true. We do get the end of the hurricane trails, which is why the seas are more likely to be rough in the autumn, though as you say, I totally agree that there is no hard and fast rule. The same can be said for the Caribbean and Southern US in Hurricane season - you can be around when there is a hurricane in the area, or you could have balmy seas throughout.

 

As I said we do get the tail of the storms, but they do generally moderate in severity as they come to us over cooler waters.

 

I also think the modern large cruise ships with flat bottoms and 'block of flats' construction (which gives a large area exposed to wind) can have a bad time on rough seas compared to a smaller conventional build ships with a keel - though there are not many of the latter still around of course. Being mid ship is considerably better than at the front or back on any ship though. We went for a guarantee cabin on an Agean cruise a few years back in late Sept/Oct in a flat bottomed ship and were right at the front in an outside cabin - it corkscrewed like mad when the seas got rough, so I spent most of that night in a centrally placed bar. We have not booked a guarantee since then.........

 

I actually think inside cabins are best as well for that reason, though we are tempted to go for outsides and sometimes balconies as long as we are mid ship.

Edited by tring
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This is the first cruise that we will have an inside cabin. It’s actually a promenade cabin. My husband suffers from motion sickness so I told him to buy more pills. He even takes it on the plane. Let’s hope for the best. [emoji16]

 

I am particularly bad with motion sickness at times, but it does not stop me cruising. I have studied and monitored weather forcasts before hand, but as previously said the weather systems can move over so quickly that it is best ignored until you are on the ship, as long as you are well prepared with tablets etc. Worst comes to the worst, you just need to call the medical staff to the cabin to give you a jab. Costs a bit, but if it is needed, then so be it.

 

It is also best to make sure you have something to eat if possible. Something like a clear soup and some bread or crackers if bread is too heavy for you. I always take a packet of crackers on a cruise and some oxo cubes. You may not know what oxo is - they are basically stock cubes, but you can just add boiling water to make into a drink (sometimes I will just use part of a cube as they can be too salty. Yoghurt is good as well if you are feeling queasy, but again perhaps not a whole one at once. The purpose of eating something is mainly to keep your salt balance correct, which is important.

 

You can get a reasonable UK weather forecast here if you really want to see one (though the mention of Michael Fish is a reference to a BBC weather presenter from a good number of years back who failed to forecast a really bad storm - it has become a well known event to mock):- https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather You can search for a shipping forecast on that site as well, which will give you the UK and nearby seas (including the Bay of Biscay), but only for a few days ahead.

 

Chances are you will be fine. I hope you enjoy the cruise,

 

Barbara

Edited by tring
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Sitting in front of laptop reading this thread, while outside the wind is hitting 125 kph/75 mph. The west coast of Ireland is badly hit today and one person has already lost their life as Storm Ali runs across the country.

 

We have known that it was coming for a couple of days now, but as we do not get violent storms that often, we took no precautions. So, I will spend tomorrow going round the garden picking up flower pots, planters etc that have been blown away, clearing up the rubbish that has fallen out of the rubbish bins that have been blown down the driveway.

 

Ferries and flights have been cancelled between UK and Ireland, but by tomorrow they should be back to normal.

 

The point of all this is to say that although we do get storms in the UK and Ireland, we do not get them very often and they do not cause the major havoc that is caused in other lands! (large dumps of snow excepted!)

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Hmmmm, VMax - what did I do to upset you so much that you sent the tail of that storm over to me? :D

 

We've had some glorious weather here on the south coast.

Two nights ago the Solent was like a millpond.

Around midnight a couple of ships (Ventura and a HAL ship) sailed serenely past on their way into Southampton - very unusual, because they usually sail in around first-light. :confused:

Next morning I woke to strong winds and the Solent was choppy - it's never rough, but a choppy Solent usually means a storm in the English Channel. Methinks that both captains had decided to put the hammer down in order to beat the storm.

It's a little early in the season for storms, late October into November is more risky.

Still pretty breezy here today.

 

JB :)

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Storm Ali (as it's now known) has today resulted n Oceania's Nautica breaking her mooring lines at Greenock and going walkabout.

Tugs used to prevent her from hitting the scenery.

The only damage was to a few egos.

https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/16889088.storm-ali-drama-as-cruise-ship-breaks-free-at-greenock/

 

JB :)

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Storm Ali (as it's now known) has today resulted n Oceania's Nautica breaking her mooring lines at Greenock and going walkabout.

Tugs used to prevent her from hitting the scenery.

The only damage was to a few egos.

https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/16889088.storm-ali-drama-as-cruise-ship-breaks-free-at-greenock/

 

JB :)

 

I see that her next stop is/was Belfast, where they are having serious wind-related problems today.

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