6 JUNE 2019 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: OPERATIONS “Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” T his age-old saying has been passed down for genera- tions, and it does have some basis in the sun’s rays re- flecting off moisture in the atmosphere. In generations past there were many adages to predict weather that was particularly important to farmers and mariners alike. I don’t believe there is a mariner alive that doesn’t look at the sky a hundred times a day. The weather, and how you deal with it, impacts your daily operations. Whether embarking on a two-hour sightseeing trip, a thirty-minute ferry commute, or an overnight voyage, weather is a constant component.After all, weather is important to both passenger and crew safety and the company’s image and bottom line. Summer is the busiest time of year for many PVA operators. Customers are on vacation and moving. They are looking for a trip to a seasonal home, a beach or maybe a boat excursion they have never had before. We, as businesses in the hospitality industry, don’t like to disappoint them. Many companies depend on the revenue from summer business to carry the company the rest of the year. Summer also brings the associated thunderstorms, as well as occasional tropical storms and hurricanes. Depending on your geographical location, you may experience more or less of these storms. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), a federal research laboratory, there are 100,000 thunderstorms in the United States every year.About By Jeff Whitaker, PV A Past President “Weather” You Like it or Not