I ought go to go downtown and beat some learning into of one of our local weathermen.

He keeps using the phrase "The storm has blown SAFELY out to sea". 

SAFELY out to sea? 

I suppose if I shanghai him and put him in a 32 foot sailboat and drop him into a Force Ten blow. It'd break him of that habit rather quickly...if he survives. It's what a person like that deserves.

I have never heard Jim Cantore of the weather channel say that and I suppose if he did I would send him a blistering letter. Cantore travels around and get in the middle of things and pretty much knows what is going on.

It's the TV station weathermen that sit in a warm, heated office all damned day that are quick to forget the reality of dealing with foul weather.

I can speak firsthand about this because if any of you have ever seen the movie or read the book "The Perfect Storm" you will understand what I mean when I say I've been in it.

I was in that Halloween blow and off the shore of Kennebunkport we had a cargo hose break loose. Another guy and I had to suit up most riki-tik and get out on deck to tie it down before we lost it. We only had a couple of feet of freeboard.

I was tethered to the boat, got hit by a wave, lifted and spun upside down and landed damned near on my head. Twice.

We got the hose tied down. A gun-deck job if ever there was one. We pulled a cheap and dirty trick of lashing it to a couple of pipeline supports. Then we came inside cold, soaking wet and sore. It took us a long time to get warm again.

That was one storm that didn't blow safely out to sea.

We were lucky. We managed to hide in Portland and sat there for about a week before the seas calmed down enough to continue on.

It angers me to no end when I hear a professional weatherman say something like that because it shows his complete and total ignorance of the world. About 90% of all goods at some time move by water at some point or another.

A couple years ago someone got on my case about how what I do for a living only effects the coast. I knew I was dealing with stupid so I simply pointed out that he might enjoy walkinghome from work and freezing in the dark or maybe watch television by candle light it he was lucky.

I don't mind a weatherman saying a storm has blown out to sea. Some storms do. No storms blow SAFELY out to sea so long as there is a mariner underway in the area the storm headed.



To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY