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Mariners Weather Log

ISSN 0025-3367

U.S. Department of Commerce
Carlos M. Gutierrez, Secretary

William J. Brennan Ph. D.
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere

National Weather Service
Dr. John "Jack" L. Hayes
NOAA Assistant Administrator for Weather Services


Editorial Supervisor
John L. Wasserman

Layout and Design
U.S Government Printing Office
Marco Marchegiani

 

Articles, photographs, and letters should be sent to:

Mr. John L. Wasserman, Editorial Supervisor
Mariners Weather Log
NDBC (W/OPS 51)
Building 3203
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000

Phone: (228) 688-1818
Fax: (228) 688-3923
E-mail: john.wasserman@noaa.gov

From the Editor


John Wasserman

Greetings shipmates and friends and welcome once again to the Mariners Weather Log (MWL).

Before I get started with anything, it is my sad duty to report the passing of our Miami PMO, Peggy Alander. Peggy has been battling cancer for the last several years. Her story is detailed on page 29. Please keep Peggy and her family in your thoughts and prayers. When talking to Peggy during her final week, one of her biggest concerns was, who would take care of her ships? She was a fantastic person and an incredible Port Meteorological Officer. It was an honor knowing her. She will be sorely missed!

This issue we welcome aboard two new PMO’s. Rob Niemeyer has taken over the position in Jacksonville, Florida and Peggy Perales in Valdez, Alaska. Their bio’s are on page 30. Please join me in welcoming them aboard. They both bring a great deal of experience to the US VOS program and we are excited to have them aboard.

This issue we are finishing up our 3 part series brought to us courtesy of the Mariners Museum in Newport News, VA. This piece is called "The Great Exchange".

With the sad loss of Peggy, it has been very difficult to get into a "nautical mode". This is not a good sign when the editor of the MWL can't get into nautical mode. So, I have a confession, in order to get my head in the right for this issue, I had to pull out the old Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers albums. A few reels and shanty's later, I was ready to edit. If their rendition of "The Irish Rover" does not get you in the nautical mood, nothing will!

Since taking over this position earlier this year, not one week has gone by without several calls for reprinting the article "Mariners Guide to the 500 mb Chart" In this issue we are proud to update this very popular article from the winter of 1995" I strongly recommend that you hold on to this version as a reference, I will make sure that we keep a version of it on the US VOS website. This version of the article is not only updated but is expanded covering more recent charts and concepts. As a companion to this article, you may want to check out "Heavy Weather Avoidance...Concepts and Applications of 500 Mb Charts" by Captain Ma-Li Chen and Lee Chesneau. You can obtain a copy by contacting Lee Chesneau through his website at www.marineweatherbylee.com.

Lastly, thank you to all the authors of the articles in the MWL. They are the reason for this magazine success.

Please enjoy and drop me a note anytime.

John

Twas a wonderful craft,
she was rigged fore and aft
And how the wild winds drove her
She 'stood several blasts, she had twenty-seven masts
And they called her the Irish Rover


On the cover:
Cloud formation near Jupiter Inlet, FL taken by Bill Skahan Master S/R Willmington

Some Important Web Page Addresses

NOAA http://www.noaa.gov
National Weather Service http://www.weather.gov
National Data Buoy Center http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov
AMVER Program http://www.amver.com
VOS Program http://www.vos.noaa.gov
SEAS Program http://seas.amverseas.noaa.gov/seas/seasmain.html
Mariners Weather Log http://www.vos.noaa.gov/mwl.shtml
Marine Dissemination http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm
U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms