IN THE SPRING of 2019 , I had the opportunity to sail in European waters . The trip began with pleasant weather as we left Portsmouth , England , en route to Oslo , Norway . As we left the English Channel , and headed into the North Sea , we received a weather forecast that predicted strong winds ( 30 + knots ) and associated waves .
While on watch , I observed that , within the course of slightly more than two hours , the barometer had plummeted by over . 10 inches . This is a massive drop – indeed , if we were in the tropics ( which we were not ), a drop of this magnitude would typically be
associated with an approaching hurricane .
Photo by Linda Lakin
As it turns out , the forecast wasn ’ t quite correct . In particular , the wind didn ’ t stop in the low 30s – it built to 40 + knots and seas rapidly increased to 10 to 15 feet . The meteorological definition of a gale is sustained winds of 34 knots and over . We were already well beyond that . What were we going to do ? Was the weather going to continue to deteriorate ? If things got worse , would we need to call the Coast Guard ? Wait a second : I am in the Coast Guard , and I was on a Coast Guard ship – the USCGC EAGLE .
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