Twist and spout

Last month we explored whirlpools, the vortices of water that sink down into the sea. This month we’re going to learn about the ones that rise up high into the sky – waterspouts. Although they look as though water is being sucked up into the sky, waterspouts are simply rotating columns of condensed air connecting the sea with a cumuliform cloud. Although this might make them seem less fearsome, waterspouts are extremely dangerous to small boats and can cause serious damage to a yacht. Indeed, one is believed to have hit the off the Azores in December 1872, tearing up the sails was found afloat and the crew were never seen again – a reminder that you should only ever step UP into a liferaft, as a grizzled old seadog once told me.