‘Minnow’ Waits

Today, 20^th March, is the Spring Equinox when day and night are equal in time at the equator, i.e., there are 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. At mid-day the sun’s zenith momentarily hovered over the intersection of the Greenwich Date Line and the Equator.

The Autumn Equinox occurs on 22^nd September, and in the UK around that time, there may be a greater frequency of gales than at other times, but meteorologists maintain statistics do not support that belief.

Whatever the case, both March and September have reputations for being windy.

April, the month of showers, follows March, when it can also be windy. Last year during April and May I encountered adverse westerly winds that kept me stormbound for many days. Will this year be different? Could I be blessed with fine weather and fair winds? This is my hope. Meanwhile, ‘Minnow’ and her skipper patiently wait for a propitious weather slot, early this April.

Links

Equinox

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_equinox

Equinoxial Gales

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/feature/ne021003.htm

Strong Winds 10 – 12 March 2008

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/march2008/ 

March Wind

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/poem/march-wind.htm

The Winds of March

http://allpoetry.com/poem/8619485-The-Winds-of-March-by-Patience-Strong

The Greenwich Date Line

http://wwp.greenwichmeridian.com/date-line.htm