| Weather Proverbs | The ability of a seaman to foretell weather by the appearance of the sky, change of wind direction, etc. was handed down in the form of proverbs. Some well known are:
- Mackerel skies and mares' tails
Make tall ships carry short sails - Red sky at night, sailor's delight;
Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. - Rainbow in the morning, sailors take warning,
Rainbow toward night, sailors' delight. - A backing wind says storms are nigh,
But a veering wind will clear the sky. - Seagull, seagull, sit on the sand,
It's never good weather when you're on the land. - When a halo rings the moon or sun,
The rain will come upon the run. - If wooly fleeces deck the heavenly way,
Be sure no rain will mar a summer's day. - With the rain before the wind,
Stays and topsails you must mind,
But with the wind before the rain,
Your topsails you may set again. - When boat horns sound hollow,
Rain will surely follow.
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