Just Off the European Continental Shelf, West of the Bay of Biscay
Although we still have another full day’s passage ahead of us, we began to see signs that we were indeed nearing our destination this afternoon. Throughout much of the morning and early afternoon, we steamed along in a rolling, but largely calm sea. However, by mid-afternoon, the far-reaching effects of the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel were becoming noticeable. First the wind speed picked up from 10 to 20 and then later up to 40 knots. Accompanying the winds, the whitecaps began to appear on the incoming swells. The air temperature also started dropping to match that of the ocean, 13°C/55°F. All of these factors have combined to make the ride, well a bit more interesting, shall we say…at least during dinner service anyway. Of course, to those who travel these seas often, this change of weather should really be no surprise at all. After all, it’s a simple matter of location, 48°N 10°W to be exact.
Though we are still some 400 miles from Portsmouth and over 300 miles away from the nearest point of land, the charts show that we are fast approaching the European continental shelf and will actually be upon it by morning. The seas that lie atop the edges of these shelves, throughout the world, tend to be a tad rougher than those waters farther in towards the coastline and those further out in the open ocean. This is a result of the water’s energy, in the form of waves, being compressed as they flow up onto the shelf. In most places, the conditions are only mildly uncomfortable, but in some areas of the world, certain conditions and features can combine to make for routinely rough waters. Our course has taken us along the northwest edge of one such area, the Bay of Biscay, which we will wisely skirt around and into the English Channel.
Still, aside from the occasional toppled wine glass, we are still progressing nicely; safe and dry in our sturdy little ship, which incidentally was specifically designed to handle the finicky weather of the North Atlantic. Nonetheless, we’re happy to be heading to Portsmouth and not somewhere down the French coast and directly through the Bay of Biscay. Besides, the new conditions and proximity to land have allowed for an entourage of gannets, fulmars, and the odd cormorant to come out and greet us as they prowl these turbulent waters for their daily meal. And it’s certainly nice to see the wildlife begin to increase again as we head into the home stretch.
Although we still have another full day’s passage ahead of us, we began to see signs that we were indeed nearing our destination this afternoon. Throughout much of the morning and early afternoon, we steamed along in a rolling, but largely calm sea. However, by mid-afternoon, the far-reaching effects of the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel were becoming noticeable. First the wind speed picked up from 10 to 20 and then later up to 40 knots. Accompanying the winds, the whitecaps began to appear on the incoming swells. The air temperature also started dropping to match that of the ocean, 13°C/55°F. All of these factors have combined to make the ride, well a bit more interesting, shall we say…at least during dinner service anyway. Of course, to those who travel these seas often, this change of weather should really be no surprise at all. After all, it’s a simple matter of location, 48°N 10°W to be exact.
Though we are still some 400 miles from Portsmouth and over 300 miles away from the nearest point of land, the charts show that we are fast approaching the European continental shelf and will actually be upon it by morning. The seas that lie atop the edges of these shelves, throughout the world, tend to be a tad rougher than those waters farther in towards the coastline and those further out in the open ocean. This is a result of the water’s energy, in the form of waves, being compressed as they flow up onto the shelf. In most places, the conditions are only mildly uncomfortable, but in some areas of the world, certain conditions and features can combine to make for routinely rough waters. Our course has taken us along the northwest edge of one such area, the Bay of Biscay, which we will wisely skirt around and into the English Channel.
Still, aside from the occasional toppled wine glass, we are still progressing nicely; safe and dry in our sturdy little ship, which incidentally was specifically designed to handle the finicky weather of the North Atlantic. Nonetheless, we’re happy to be heading to Portsmouth and not somewhere down the French coast and directly through the Bay of Biscay. Besides, the new conditions and proximity to land have allowed for an entourage of gannets, fulmars, and the odd cormorant to come out and greet us as they prowl these turbulent waters for their daily meal. And it’s certainly nice to see the wildlife begin to increase again as we head into the home stretch.
