Blog 2019

based on a NY Times article

After a month of relatively mild winter weather, the Midwest and the East Coast are bracing for what is becoming a seasonal rite of passage: the polar vortex.

The phrase has become synonymous with frigid temperatures that make snowstorms more likely. A blast of arctic air is expected to herald the vortex’s arrival on Monday.

If it seems as if these polar freezes are happening more often, you’re right. “They are definitely becoming more common,” said Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center. “There have been a couple of studies that have documented that, ”according to Judah Cohen, a climatologist at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, a weather risk assessment firm. 

Monday’s high temperature in New York City was predicted to reach just 16 degrees, 20 degrees below average, according to the forecasting service Weather Underground.

Polar Vortex. The term refers to circular bands of winds near the poles that are strongest in wintertime and well above the jet stream in the stratosphere. The stratosphere is an atmospheric layer that extends roughly seven to 31 miles above the earth.

Usually, those circular bands act as walls that keep the teeth-chattering cold air locked at the poles. But, every so often, the winds break down and allow the cold air to escape. That’s what happened at the beginning of this month, when the polar vortex split into three separate bands.

As the Arctic gets warmer and warmer, the severe weather picks up.

So You Have A Boat Now, have taken a few classes, and you think you know everything.

You feel good about yourself and think you are a "Salty"

Think again, Here are some characteristics of what true boys(and gals), of the sea say makes them seasoned sailors

A sailor…

         Knows what phase the moon is in                                                  

• Can tell the wind speed by feel

• Can light a cigarette no matter the weather conditions (French sailors)

• Has lost a digit in a winching accident

• Dresses in primary colours

• Gets upset when people call the British national flag the Union Jack

• Always passes port to the left (unless he’s in America)

• Can sleep anywhere

• Has an eclectic collection of yacht club-branded T-shirts

• Sports sun-yellowed eyebrows

• Is not afraid of seasickness

• Does not carry an umbrella

• Sniggers when hearing someone say ‘Over and out’ in a movie

• Can always find a parking space

• Drinks beer/rum/whisky for breakfast (after a long trip)

• Never uses a wheelie suitcase

• Finds it acceptable to eat and drink out of plastic

• Owns a spork

• Can fix anything (usually with epoxy or duck tape)

• Can throw a great party in the smallest of spaces

• Can make friends in an instant that last a lifetime

• Is good at keeping in touch

• Is adept at sewing up holes (in sails, in clothes)

• Is good at whipping 

• Daydreams of adventure

• Actually goes on adventures

• Shies away from botox, knowing that lines speak of a life well lived

• Never goes for a manicure

• Does not use the word ‘hurricane’ lightly

• Is not daunted by third world lavatories

• Is open-minded and big-hearted

• Knows the name of a good pub or restaurant in every port town in the western hemisphere (and much of the eastern)

• Has a friend in every port town in the western hemisphere – often a bartender

• Can whip up a hearty meal consisting entirely of tinned and packet foods

• Is not phased by the idea of making tea at 30° (whether lat, long or angle of heel)

• Knows the difference between latitude and longitude – and is always aware of where he or she is

• Has seen more sunsets and sunrises, dolphins and views of the Milky Way than anyone else they know

• Is not afraid of the dark

• Knows that lists like these are for desk-based landlubbers who aren’t busy off having adventure

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968. Born in Atlanta, King is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, tactics his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi helped inspire.

King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and in 1957 became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). With the SCLC, he led an unsuccessful 1962 struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize the nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama. He also helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Wondering how to keep warm in frigid, soul-shattering temperatures? You're not alone.

Thanks to Chris Gayomali the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com

Here are a few practical, science-based tips for keeping warm:

1. Stay dry

THE GOLDEN RULE to stay warm is "Don't get cold in the first place."

That's obvious, you say. But is it? The cold can sneak up on you, especially if you're tromping through icy puddles or sweating in that big parka. So stay dry, especially by dressing in layers. Try layering with a "synthetic, wicking base layer to pull the moisture off your skin." Then on top of that, you'll need a layer that insulates. "Heat tech" base layers — tights, leggings, form-fitting undershirts, etc. — are lightweight, easy to throw on underneath your normal work clothes, and most importantly, keep you toasty with minimal discomfort. Try not to let cotton (which can absorb sweat) touch your skin, if you can help it. Sorry Mom.

2. Protect your core
The average human core temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit; hypothermia occurs when body temp dips below 95 degrees. Obviously, keeping your torso insulated is the best thing you can do to keep the rest of you warm and humming along, especially if you pack on a few extra winter pounds.

For example, when people lose fingers, toes, and other extremities to frostbite, at work is one of the body's natural self-preservation systems: It simply stops

sending blood out in order to protect the vital organs. So, as counterintuitive as it sounds, keeping your torso warm is the number one way to keep your hands and feet feeling warm, too. (More on that in a bit.)

3. The "winter hat" might be a myth
Good news for people with great hair: The assumption that 70 percent of a person's body heat escapes through their head is patently false. University of Michigan professor Andrew Maynard debunks the popular "dancing naked with a winter hat" myth, and explains that body-heat loss relates to "how much skin is exposed, not which part of the body you're exposing." That said, wearing a warm hat can and definitely will help you keep warm. (The more skin you cover up the better.) But a hat shouldn't be depended on in lieu of down coat or jacket with good insulation.

4. Mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves
Protecting your core should be your number one priority. But you need to cover your skin to keep it from getting frostbitten. Remember: The less skin you have exposed the better. If you don't mind having less mobility in the cold, mittens may be preferable to gloves, since clustering the fingers together helps to produce more insulating body heat.

5. Drink water
Summit-trekking adventurers agree: Water is actually amazing for retaining body heat. Simply put, the more you have in your system, the easier it is to keep warm. Stay hydrated — especially before you dash out into the frozen slush every morning.

Here's an article by Charles Fort on how climate change is impacting our world.

Here's how stronger storms, varying water levels and currents, and more weather anomalies are affecting the pastime we love.

We've all seen headlines such as "Last Year Hottest on Record," "Record Low Arctic Sea Ice," "Hurricane Patricia the Strongest Eastern Pacific Storm Ever Recorded."

Here's what's happening.

First, there's a difference between "weather" and "climate." Weather is what's happening today and maybe the rest of the week. Climate refers to weather over long periods of time. While there may be some political disagreement over why changes have been occurring in the climate, nearly all climatologists and meteorologists agree on one fact: The wild weather is occurring because Earth is warming.

Warm air holds more moisture. Scientists at the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have accurate records going back to when modern record keeping began in 1880 showing the Earth's average surface temperature increasing by about 1.8 F since the early 20th century. Sounds like nothing. But it makes a major difference in the way our weather operates: About 6 degrees Fahrenheit is all that separates our current climate from an ice age.

As an example of current trends, 16 of the 17 warmest years in recorded history have occurred since 2000, and according to NASA, 2016 was the warmest ever recorded with 2017 coming in a close second. At the rate the climate is warming, NOAA forecasts a 3- to 7-degree increase by the end of this century.

When the planet warms even a degree or two, fundamental weather patterns change in counterintuitive ways, exacerbated by cyclical factors including El Niño and the oscillating jet stream. This creates more severe cold snaps and record snows in some areas. For instance, the spring of 2017 found California's drought-prone Sierra Nevada mountains at 200 percent of normal snowpack. On the other hand, last year Birmingham, Alabama, went a record-breaking 61 days without rain. During June a couple of years ago, temperatures in many parts of California, Arizona, and Nevada surged to record highs.

The Effects, Through Boaters' Eyes

The slow heating of the Earth creates visible changes, such as sea levels rising about 4 millimeters — roughly the thickness of four dimes — every year now. That doesn't sound like much. But residents of Miami can attest to how serious it is.

In the U.S., Miami is at one of the highest risks for rising water. Minor random "nuisance street flooding" (not from storm or tide) is becoming more common.

For boaters, over time, this means swampy areas begin to get covered, and rocks and sandbars that were visible become submerged. Couple that with potentially excessive silting due to runoff caused by heavier-than-normal rains and you begin to see how these changes affect boating.

Plus, sea level rise isn't only from rapidly melting ice caps. Water expands as it warms; about half the rise in sea level is due to thermal expansion of the water. As the Earth warms and more polar ice melts, that rate increases faster.

New Year. New beginnings. New start. New chapter. New Resolutions. This is what the first few days of a new year represents,at least on the surface.

January often is a chance to reflect and make some changes and many of us write out goals and resolutions. I’ve preferred for many years now to choose a word rather than make resolutions because resolutions don’t seem to work for me.

I don’t know who started the trend but choosing a “one word” has caught on like fire and it has given purpose and direction for those of us who have abandoned the resolution making.

My one word has become not just a theme for the year but also a pilgrimage.

It challenges my comfort zone and challenges me at the same time. I’ve made the decision to go with it because it won’t go away and when I pray it pops up over and over.

The word is DARE!

I have many new ventures ahead and am not sure all what or how my one word will hold up, but I am trusting that this is the word that will sustain my spirit.

As I dare…

to live purposefully.

to grow spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically

to equip and empower others.

to share vision and not fear change

to live in humility and appreciate what I have

to judge less and give more

to forgive and be fair

to love well

and that I would trust to dare to so much more.

There are hundreds of good luck rituals woven among New Year celebrations, also practiced in the name of exercising a little control over fate. The Dutch, for whom the circle is a symbol of success, eat donuts. Greeks bake special Vassilopitta cake with a coin inside, bestowing good luck in the coming year on whoever finds it in his or her slice. Fireworks on New Year's Eve started in China millennia ago as a way to chase off evil spirits. The Japanese hold New Year’s Bonenkai, or "forget-the-year parties," to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past year and prepare for a better new one. Disagreements and misunderstandings between people are supposed to be resolved, and grudges set aside. In a New Year’s ritual for many cultures, houses are scrubbed to sweep out the bad vibes and make room for better ones.

Resolutions to give us the pretense of control over the future. Everywhere, New Year's is a moment to consider our weaknesses and how we might reduce the vulnerabilities they pose—and to do something about the scary powerlessness that comes from thinking about the unsettling unknown of what lies ahead. As common as these shared behaviors are across both history and culture, it’s fascinating to realize that the special ways that people note this unique passage of one day into the next are probably all manifestations of the human animal’s fundamental imperative for survival.

So, how do you reassure yourself against the scariest thing the future holds, the only sure thing that lies ahead, the inescapable reality that you will someday die? Pass the donuts, the Vassilopitta and the grapes, light the fireworks, and raise a glass to toast: "To survival!"