Watch for fallvinders
Tuesday, 12 August 2025
We had another late afternoon/early evening rain/no-rain rotation, once again substantiating the “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes” saying. Sometimes it’s more like a half-hour, but the pattern remains.
Also, I learned the Norwegian word fallvinder, which refers to strong downdrafts (at tornadic speeds) along the coast, that descend from the land across the coast, then compromising watercraft. The word was in a NYTimes article about experimental archaeologist Greer Jarrett, who’s been imitating Viking sailing, mostly long-distance trips along the western Scandinavian coast. Fallvinder were an underestimated danger Jarrett’s voyages highlighted. The boats were mostly 30-footers, and not the longships favored by artists and film-makers; he says they’re what most folk used. His over two dozen voyages illuminate what routes, islands, and ports were mostly likely used, and not necessarily previously known.
We experinced no fallvinders today at the cottage.