[Duggeh]

5:20 AM, BST (GMT +1)

And tonight i was up to my knees in water moving floating wheelie bins out of the way of traffic while the worst rain I've seen in since I was 12 and in Florida during the monsoon poured down around me.

Cold, wet, drunk, then in for a dram or four, gets close to collapse into bed time and the shipping forecast comes on, and I suddenly think, what a marvellous British institution it is, the start of the Radio 4 broadcast these days after the world service terminates.

I'm curious to know if you chaps over the pond have some sort of equivalent. And how many UK or EU fiers are also moderate or good.

 

[Bizzel]

It does have a sort of low-key, patriotic Britishness to it, like one of the last bastions of 'old Britain'.

 

[carlosgp]

Yes, in Spain we have the Boletines de Alta Mar, broadcasted by Radio 5 (RNE) seven days a week, I do not know how many times per day. I suppose that all countries with a strong naval tradition have similar services...

 

[Bizzel]

.

 

[NacMacFeegle]

Hey Duggeh...Have I got the track for you! It's on an old Nick Kershaw comp CD I picked up a couple of years ago on a sneaky trip to the UK. When I get home tonight I'll hunt it out and let you know the details.

 

[stewtheking]

My favourite take on the shipping forecast is a magnificent poem by the poet Les Barker. I can't find any links to it but would heartily reccomend getting hold of a cd of his. An extremely funny man. I saw him live once, and as a surprise for him, the festival organisers had managed to get the voice of the shipping forecast to record his poem, and read it out as a surprise. Absolute magic.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif 5:20 AM, BST (GMT +1) And tonight i was up to my knees in water moving floating wheelie bins out of the way of traffic while the worst rain I've seen in since I was 12 and in Florida during the monsoon poured down around me. Cold, wet, drunk, then in for a dram or four, gets close to collapse into bed time and the shipping forecast comes on, and I suddenly think, what a marvellous British institution it is, the start of the Radio 4 broadcast these days after the world service terminates. I'm curious to know if you chaps over the pond have some sort of equivalent. And how many UK or EU fiers are also moderate or good.

Color me stupid...I have no clue what you're talking about.

 

[zotjen]

Sometime local weather, usually on the radio, will give a marine forecast with high tide info, wind speed in knots, etc.

 

[NacMacFeegle]

As promised..
It's on a compilation CD by Andy Kershaw (not Nick...I'm putting that error down to old age) called More Great Moments of Vinyl History. It was released in 2004 on Wrasse records (via the BBC) and the track is called General Synopsis by The Rootsman. The cd's cover is by Glen Baxter which makes it all the more better to own. Good luck hunting it down.

 

[luvdunhill]

heh, I thought this was going to be a Mrs. Bale tribute thread

 

[SonicArmada]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gloco /img/forum/go_quote.gif Color me stupid...I have no clue what you're talking about.

x2

 

[luvdunhill]

maybe this will help:

"And now, before the news and weather, here is the Shipping Forecast issued by the Meteorological Office at 1400 hours Greenwich Mean Time.
Finisterre, Dogger, Rockall, Bailey: no.
Wednesday, variable, imminent, super.
South Utsire, North Utsire, Sheer Ness, Foulness, Elliot Ness:
If you will, often, eminent, 447, 22 yards, touchdown, stupidly.
Malin, Hebrides, Shetland, Jersey, Fair Isle, Turtle-Neck, Tank Top, Cortelle:
Blowy, quite misty, sea sickness. Not many fish around, come home, veering suggestively.
That was the Shipping Forecast for 1700 hours, Wednesday the 18th of August."

 

[skev13]

I thought this thread had something to do with UPS/USPS/Fedex/DHL