I got to talking about the weather with a pilot friend of mine today, we seem to be getting more of the stuff recently, bad stuff that is. Just yesterday the Balearic Island of Formentera in the Mediterranean was hit by a DANA, this phenomenon is a violent, short-lasting storm caused by cold air in a localised depression. The damage caused is already substantial, with many boats, some more than 40m long, being washed ashore after dragging anchors. Luckily, so far, no injuries have been reported. For anyone interested, it can be checked out here: DANA Hits Formentera.
The thing is, we cannot change the weather, but we can heed the forecasts, this event had been very well predicted, and developed pretty much as forecast, why so many boats were still anchored in an unprotected bay, open to the forecast winds is surprising to say the least.
Part of our daily routine when going sea is checking the weather, those of us running high-performance boats have the added advantage of being able to outrun incoming storms, but there will always be a time when it’s just better to be at the dock with your beverage of choice in hand.
