Introduce yourself

[Michael]

Glad to having you join us! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

[AvastMH]

Welcome onboard Vic. I hope you have a great time here. Look forward to seeing you around the forum

[Sandy]

Hi friends,

My name is Sandy. I joined last week. The magic of Herman Melville and Google brought me here.

I cracked open Melville's 'Moby-Dick' for the first time some days ago, and it immediately harpooned my heart. It renewed my lifelong fascination with the deep seas and introduced me to the world of whaling. I had a gnarly itch to learn more, which led to my fateful Google search: 'volunteer on research vessel'. The third result, an NOAA link, ultimately brought me to Old Weather. I came for the history and to be part of OW's mission to help climate change but have found so much more.

I study holistic growth and wellness, in particular the growth that can only develop out of pressure and adversity. Everyone has heard about post-traumatic stress, but post-traumatic growth (PTG) does not get nearly as much attention as it deserves. It's important for someone to fully acknowledge and work through PTSD, but PTG begins when you consciously decide to work through stress with the intention and belief that your hardship is exactly what is needed to challenge and help you come out the other side stronger and better than before. It's the difference between being shoved into a pitch-black tunnel and trying to walk backward, toward the light where you came from, or walking forward, toward a light that's farther off but much more in tune with your best self. I know how real a thing PTG is, and I firmly believe that everyone has the capacity for it, no matter the degree of trauma, hardship, external circumstance, or internal resistance. Just as it takes a certain mindset and behavior pattern to cultivate a perspective based on fear and ignorance, it takes another kind of mindset and behavior pattern to cultivate strength of heart, body, and mind. Recently, my work has brought me to the world of training and coaching, but the principles those athletes use extend far beyond physical training; they are applicable to anyone who chooses self-development. I am a trademarked bloodhound when it comes to sniffing out that strength of heart that marks true champions, those who choose lifelong growth and development, to the benefit of themselves and others. The people here at OW are truly special. I quickly skimmed over the Dockside Cafe's coronavirus thread before posting here, and sure as hell, I picked up on that unmistakeable scent. There is a strength here which so beautifully pumps itself through the veins of this community. Like I said, I came for the history, high seas, and climate change, but every moment I've spent here over the past week has shown me what a true gift it is to have found you all.

(I'm almost done, I promise. )
Special shout out to Randi for being the greatest Fairy Godmother Guide into the world of OW and to Joan for being The Best Coach, period.
If anyone is interested in fun ways to introduce a little more movement, mindset, nutrition, sleep, recovery, there is a wonderful app you can download and use for free: the Nike Training Club (NTC). They have great articles and recipes (under Workouts -- Expert Tips), as well as a large variety of workouts that range from ten minutes to sixty (yoga, simple stretches, cardio, strength training, etc). I believe there are even a few that were made for parents and their children.

I am downright honored and delighted to be part of the OW community. Hello to everyone!

[Randi]

Thank you!

I joined to help the climate researchers, but with the OW community and the history in the log books (especially daily life) and the digging for more information I have gotten far more out of this project than I have put into it!

[studentforever]

Welcome to OW.
Before too long I think I should introduce you to the 'Signs of OW addition' topic as a 'health' warning to the newbie. Of all the things to which we may become addicted in modern life I think OW counts as the least damaging while extremely enjoyable. Having so far escaped the damaging ones I hesitate to say most enjoyable but at least the enjoyment continues and grows rather than becoming oppressive.

So far, I haven't found a cure.

[Michael]

Welcome, Sandy. I'm so happy you've decided to join us on our cruise.

[Sandy]

Haha, thank you all! So happy to be here.

[AvastMH]

Awwww - thank you Sandy Wow - great intro!

Your nose was not wrong. The folk of OW are the best and have certainly seen me through some hard times. It's a great mutual support network with a shared goal - nothing too grandiose just saving the planet

Sounds to me like studentforever is on to you - you'll soon be posting in the addiction topic

And especially thank you for making such a flying start with the whalers. They are fascinating and, like the government ships, and as Randi says, can be amazing rabbit warrens that you fall down as you find yourself investigating a little bit more about what was really going on.

[LeyaK]

Hello everyone!

My name is Leya. I found this group by doing a search for volunteer opportunities for meteorological work. I was a US Navy Aerographar’s Mate, metorology and oceanography, for 14 years and recently retired. Finding myself with little to do I decided to look for things to help me keep occupied and challenge my mind.

I found this place through NOAA and thought it was the best fit for me. I type 65wpm, have ample experience in maritime weather, and computers. I haven’t started on anything yet, and will probably start this weekend.

I look forward to taking a glimpse back in time.

[pommystuart]

Welcome Leya.
You have joined a great group of people who are always willing to help you get into the swing of things.
It may seem a bit daunting to start with but you soon develop your own short cuts.

If you join the Artic group ask Michael, Randi or myself (pomystuart) for help.
If you join the Whaling group then Joan (AvastHM) and Randi may be first port of call for help.

[Randi]

Welcome indeed, Leya!

As Stuart says, some people do find getting started difficult, but lots of help is available

[pommystuart]

Leya.

I am sure Randi will pick a suitable ship for you to start on, (unless you have a special reason to pick one yourself).
You need Libreoffice calc and the ships Spreadsheet and shortcut macro, Tracker, and upload spreadsheets to start with.

Use Alt H when in the weather sheet for help on shortcut keys.

My tip for you is you will use Alt 1 to move to/or copy down data from one row to the next.
Michael will help you set up the Setup tab on the SS.

You do not have to enter all the data on the Events page. Just course changes, US ships names when in port and anything you find interesting

[Michael]

Hi Leya! Welcome aboard. I was a meteorologist and, when I retired, a friend suggested I should do this in my spare time. That was shortly after Old Weather was launched almost 11 years ago. Stuart, Hanibal, Randi, Joan and a few others have been doing this just as long, too. Take that as a sign that this can be quite addictive.

Randi is the person who will get you started, but you will find there are lots of us who will answer any questions you might have.

[AvastMH]

Welcome Leya!!
You've found a dedicated bunch of weather retrieving nutters! This is a great place to be - the history of the journeys and the weather details are, indeed, addictive, and with your background I think you'll have a good time here

I'm afraid the whalers can't offer the thrill of seeing the weather re-appear in detail as you work through those disciplined US Navy logs. Any time you want to be lost in fog, stuck in ice, dodging sand banks and probably expecting to sink, Whaling is waiting for you.

[Michael]

The Coast Guard and Navy ships do all those things, too, but they don't kill whales, nor do we expect them to sink.

[pommystuart]

But they do get run into sometimes.

(Mainly the ships I am on. )

[Morgan]

Welcome Leya. You will be hard-pressed to find a more congenial group of people, all dedicated to meteorology, navy history, and climate change. My world has gotten much bigger and brighter through "meeting everyone." I hope you find interest here.
Morgan

[LeyaK]

Thanks for the welcomes! I have indeed have read some interesting weather reports from all over. The funniest one I read was from an army vessel, they have more boats than the navy does. The person sending the report out in a comment at the end talking about the crew and how some were greener than others. I’m thinking that was supposed to allude to being new and/or seasick, as well as Army being green. But I’ve also had to forecast for a ship being stuck in Montreal because of ice for 3 months, you can read about that in an article online. I’d get very perplexed when a previous forecaster would tell them they had 2 foot seas, while stuck in ice

[Caro]

Welcome Leya. You've come to the right place.

[Michael]

I like the two foot seas when stuck in ice!

Years ago, when I was a forecast at 22^nd NORAD in North Bay, Ontario, I had an interesting night. The first thing you have to know, is that the weather centre was in the NORAD bunker, 680 feet underground. The airport was a civilian one, run by Transport Canada.

I was looking at a major storm moving in, so when I briefed 414 Squadron, I told them I was expecting heavy snow to start in a couple of hours. They shut down for the evening. All evening, the weather reports came in, just overcast alto-stratus, with no snow. The snow was moving down from the north, and there were no weather stations north of us, so it was a puzzle, but not impossible. FInally, just after 11:00 PM an irate pilot phoned me from the Officers Mess, "What have you go to say about your *** snow, now, Mr. Met Man!"

I assumed he was mad because night flying was cancelled but, just to be sure, I answered, "Why?"

He said, "Cause there's two *** feet of *** snow in the parking lot and I can't get my car out!"

I replied, "I told you we were getting heavy snow."

I immediately called the weather observer at the airport, "Have you got any snow there yet? I was expecting some to start a few hours ago." The time was about 11:10 PM.

He said, "I was just out and there was nothing, but I'll go again and check."

Shortly after, a string of special weather observations came in. I don't remember the exact sequence but the clouds weather and wind through the evening went something like this:

18:00 C100 OVC 10 36/10 Ceiling 10,000 feet overcast, visibility 10 miles, wind from 360 degrees (North) at 10 knots.
19:00 C100 OVC 10 36/10
20:00 C100 OVC 10 36/10
21:00 C100 OVC 10 36/10
22:00 C100 OVC 10 36/10
23:00 C100 OVC 10 36/10 My phone call at 23:10
23:12 40 SCT C 80 OVC 7 S- 36/15 scatted cloud at 4,000 feet ceiling 8,000 feet overcast, visibility 7 miles in light snow winds N 15 knots
23:15 20 SCT C40 BKN 70 OVC 5S- 36/20
23:18 8 SCT C15 OVC 2 S- 36/20G25
23:22 C4 X 1/2S BS 36/25G35 Ceiling 400 feet obscured, visibility 1/2 mile moderate snow winds N 25 gusting to 35.
23:25 C1 X 1/8 S++ BS 36/25G35
23:27 C 0 X 0 S++ BS 36/25G35 Ceiling zero obscured visibility obscured in heavy snow and blowing snow.

I put in an official complaint, but our OIC would not send it on. You can imagine how dangerous it would be for a small plane flying into North Bay expecting fine weather and no problems only to discover a ceiling and visibility near zero with heavy snow and winds gusting to 35 knots when they arrive. Mind you, they would have run into snow on their way north, and they would have had to turn back long before getting to North Bay.