"Bjorn Viaene" wrote in message
...

Ex-hurricane Alex heads to the UK (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/n...shtml?newX=200

Brace yourself for another summer storm this weekend as the remnants of
ex-hurricane Alex head towards the UK.

The storm conditions are not good news for four Britons trying to set a
new
Atlantic world rowing record. The crew of the Pink Lady have been at sea
for
38 days now, having rowed over 1680 miles from St John's in Newfoundland.

They have less than 420 miles left to reach the "Lizard meridian" - a line
that stretches from Lizard Point in Cornwall to the Ushant lighthouse in
Cape Finisterre in Brittany. They must do so by 23 August in order to
break
the world record for the fastest North Atlantic row from Canada.

Snip...

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040808/140/ezu1y.html

Shipwrecked Rowers Rescued In Atlantic
Four shipwrecked rowers have been hauled to safety from their life raft
stranded in stormy Atlantic seas.

The Britons were aiming to set a new world rowing record when their
transatlantic rowing boat The Pink Lady split in two.It left the four, who
had been at sea for 39 days, clinging on to a life raft in a force 7 storm
and heavy seas.

Falmouth Coastguard co-ordinated the major rescue effort to secure the crew
who had been adrift some 300 miles west of the Scilly Isles.

The marine emergency service was alerted to the crew's plight just after
2.30am today.

All four men escaped to a life raft when their vessel was hit by very poor
weather.

The crew of the Pink Lady are Mark Stubbs, 40, from Poole; Pete Bray, 48,
from South Wales; Jonathan Gornall, 48, from London, and John Wills, 33,
from Surrey.

They were attempting to row in record time from Newfoundland, Canada, to
Falmouth, Cornwall.

An R51 marine patrol aircraft was scrambled to over fly their position while
coastguards broadcast a mayday signal into the area to alert passing
vessels.

Steve

www.ukstorms.com

"Steve - www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk" wrote in message
...

Snip

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040808/140/ezu1y.html

Shipwrecked Rowers Rescued In Atlantic
Four shipwrecked rowers have been hauled to safety from their life raft
stranded in stormy Atlantic seas.

The Britons were aiming to set a new world rowing record when their
transatlantic rowing boat The Pink Lady split in two.It left the four, who
had been at sea for 39 days, clinging on to a life raft in a force 7 storm
and heavy seas.


Snip

Funny things these force 7 storms ...... wonder why news organisations
*always* misread Beaufort so badly.

"Gianna Stefani" wrote in message ...
Funny things these force 7 storms ...... wonder why news organisations
*always* misread Beaufort so badly.
That's nothing compared to today's Indy:

Rowers saved after boat is split by hurricane
Four rowers were pulled to safety from stormy seas in the Atlantic yesterday
after a hurricane split their boat as they edged towards a record breaking
voyage.
The British oarsmen had been at sea for 39 days since setting off from
Canada but became caught in Hurricane Alex at 2.30am yesterday.

Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/thi...p?story=549374

To be honest, I'd expect that sort of reporting from tabloids (well, the
Indy is a tabloid now, I suppose...)

I'm sure there'll be those who say "who cares what they call it, it did the
damage", though.

"Darren Prescott" wrote in message
...
"Gianna Stefani" wrote in message ...
Funny things these force 7 storms ...... wonder why news organisations
*always* misread Beaufort so badly.

That's nothing compared to today's Indy:

Rowers saved after boat is split by hurricane
Four rowers were pulled to safety from stormy seas in the Atlantic
yesterday
after a hurricane split their boat as they edged towards a record breaking
voyage.
The British oarsmen had been at sea for 39 days since setting off from
Canada but became caught in Hurricane Alex at 2.30am yesterday.

Source:
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/thi...p?story=549374

To be honest, I'd expect that sort of reporting from tabloids (well, the
Indy is a tabloid now, I suppose...)

I'm sure there'll be those who say "who cares what they call it, it did
the
damage", though.


Indeed so. There remains a section of the population who believe what they
read in the news, and who now think it likely to survive a hurricane (or
storm) in a small life raft, and be rescued while it is in progress.
It is that element which I find disappointing - there would seem to have
been no need to hype this story up as it was dramatic enough already. Part
of the modern trend toward superlatives perhaps.

Gianna (showing her age) Stefani