We listen to it on the radio and also the coastguard relays it. We do rely on the shipping forecast to quite an extent."Dec 31, 2013
The voice of the shipping forecast for 40 years has lent his soothing tones to a new meditation app designed to help people get to sleep. Peter Jefferson, who read the iconic BBC Radio 4 maritime weather forecast from 1969 to 2009, has reinvented the broadcast as a sleep story for Calm.com.Apr 8, 2017
Further definitions used in the shipping forecast:
- Good = >5 n miles.
- Imminent = Within 6 hours of issue.
- Slowly = Moving less than 15 kts.
- Direction = The direction from which the wind is blowing.
- Rising (or falling) more slowly = Pressure rising (or falling) at a progressively slower rate through the preceding three hours.
Wind. Wind direction. Indicates the direction from which the wind is blowing. Becoming cyclonic. Indicates that there will be considerable change in wind direction across the path of a depression within the forecast area.
The forecast contains details of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and sea-area forecasts containing forecast wind direction and force, weather and visibility. Gale warnings are issued as required throughout the day (for winds of Gale Force 8 or more). These are displayed with the Shipping forecast.
Boatie. Boatie is free although there are some upgrades you can choose. In my opinion, the app is just fine as it stands. You can select the appropriate sea area and inshore forecast you desire and then just refresh the app to receive up-to-date forecasts.
What channels should you use for regular conversations? Channels 68, 69, 71, 72, and 78A are considered non-commercial channels, and in most areas, 68 and 72 are commonly used by the recreational-boating community. But remember that the VHF is officially for "operational" purposes.
Forties - an area in the North Sea named after a sandbank and also an area called the “Long Forties†which is fairly consistently 40 fathoms deep (73m).
The Shipping Forecast was first broadcast 150 years ago, on August 24 1867. It has been saving seafarers' lives and (since moving from the telegraph to the BBC in 1924) entrancing radio listeners for generations. Kate Green and Tim Richardson investigate its peculiarly romantic poetry and magic.
Gale warning timing
| Imminent | Expected within six hours of time of issue |
|---|
| Soon | Expected within six to 12 hours of time of issue |
| Later | Expected more than 12 hours from time of issue |
| Perhaps* Later | Used when a gale is considered possible in the "later" period, but the forecaster is not sufficiently sure to issue a warning. |
Install the Online Radio Box application on your smartphone and listen to VHF online as well as to many other radio stations wherever you are! Now, your favorite radio station is in your pocket thanks to our handy app.
Radio 4 can be found on the following channels, frequencies and websites: DAB Listed as "BBC Radio 4", "BBC R4", or "Radio 4" FM 92 - 95 FM, 103-105 FM. LW 198 Long Wave.
The list of sea areas is as follows, going from clockwise from the North East: Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth, Biscay, Trafalgar, FitzRoy, Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Shannon, Rockall, Malin,Aug 24, 2017
BBC Radio 4 broadcasts weather bulletins daily on FM and long wave. Weather bulletins for shipping are broadcast daily on BBC Radio 4 at the following times: 0048 and 0520 (long wave and FM)1201 and 1754 (normally long wave only)
There are now 31 zones, which are given out in strict order, beginning at Viking in the north-east bordering Norway, and proceeding in a clockwise direction round the British Isles. Only seven areas survive from the original list: Forties, Humber, Dogger, Thames, Wight, Shannon and Hebrides.
"Sailing By" is played every night on BBC Radio 4 at around 00:45hrs before the late Shipping Forecast. Its tune is repetitive, assisting in its role of serving as a signal for sailors tuning in to be able to easily identify the radio station.
This can be heard on BBC Radio 4 at the end of programmes (approximately 0048), and on BBC Radio 3 at 0535. The forecast covers the area up to 12 miles offshore and is for the period up to 1800 the next day. It includes a general synopsis, the forecast of wind direction and force, visibility and weather.
In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin finis terrae, meaning "end of the earth". It is sometimes said to be the westernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula.
| Cape Finisterre |
|---|
| Offshore water bodies | Atlantic Ocean |
