SPECIAL REPORT

DAN HOUSTON ON CHANGES TO THE SHIPPING FORECAST

News that there would be a reduced Shipping Forecast from BBC radio this spring led to mutterings of discontent among some devotees of this great British institution. But has anyone actually changed their routines at sea accordingly? No? That’s hardly surprising, given the traditional Shipping Forecast was superseded by online offerings more than two decades ago.

From at-a-glance synoptic charts giving graphic weather information through barometric lines and well-defined frontal systems to interactive sites like PredictWind or Windy, the old business of listening to the BBC Radio 4 announcer and taking down details in some form of shorthand became irrelevant for many sailors years ago, unless you were a long way offshore or could not get online.

As for making your own pressure and frontal system maps, based on the more detailed information from the coastal stations’ weather reports... well, we should offer a bottle of something good to anyone who still does that.

Last year the BBC announced it would cease the special programming for its Radio 4 Long Wave output, where the Shipping Forecast has been broadcast four times a day. It would make it the same as its output for Radio 4 on FM or DAB, where there have been only two Shipping Forecast broadcasts during the week, at 0048 and 0520.

This happened at the end of March and the Shipping Forecast broadcasts have now been reduced to twice a day during the week and three times a day at the weekend. This means that the 1201 forecast has been dropped completely and the Shipping Forecast is now at 0048 and 0520 seven days a week with the 1754 forecast being on Saturdays and Sundays only. The 1754 broadcast is a shorter forecast of just the sea areas.