In the 1950's there was an actress named Gail Storm who starred in the television series, "My Little Margie". As a young child (redundant), I remember really enjoying the show and would look forward to the day and time it would appear on the screen of our very old television set.
As an adult boater, I see irony in the name Gail Storm. A gale is a weather term that is not looked upon favorably by boaters and that is exactly what is posted by the National Weather Service for the area in which our aqua RV is docked. Our aqua RV is about to ride through, albeit docked, a gale storm, which is predicted to last through Monday night. The wave action has been steadily building all morning and the white caps are clearly visible on the bay.
As an aside, further irony is that in National Weather Service jargon, a storm is actually a higher wind situation than a gale. Go figure that one. That is government bureaucracy at its finest!
This will be the first time that my SO and I have actually been staying on the boat during gale winds. We've been here during many high-wind days and nights, but not during an actual gale posting by the Weather Service. Many boat owners, including SO, have been preparing their crafts for the wind and water surges that will occur as a result of wind direction. Canvas snaps and zippers have been checked and rechecked, in some cases boats have been moved from their normal slips to slips where the boats will be less affected by the wind, extra lines and snubber lines have been added to reduce the jerking effect created by wave surges, and any loose equipment has been either removed or battened down. This is what 'batten down the hatches' means.
To compound weather-related issues is the fact that nasty storms are predicted to accompany the wind. Straight-line wind possibilities exist within the weather forecast for the next thirty hours.
I'd much rather be meeting Gail Storm instead of a gale storm.
Ancora imparo
