What He Knew
by Lars · 18 June 2026 · Family & Generations
Lars's father has never been on a sailboat. But he can read weather — ten seconds at the sky and he knows what's coming. Lars thinks of him sometimes checking forecasts on his phone. He'd probably say: no need to check. Lars checks anyway.
My father has never been on a sailboat. He grew up inland, worked in insurance for thirty years, retired to a house outside Voss with a garden he takes very seriously. He has no particular interest in the sea beyond watching it from a distance on the rare occasions he visits.
But he can read weather. I noticed this when I was a teenager and it's only gotten more precise over the years. He looks at the sky for about ten seconds and tells you what's coming. Not in meteorological terms — he doesn't use that language. In practical terms. Bring your jacket. The wind will change after lunch. Don't count on the afternoon.
I've asked him where he learned this. He says he doesn't know. He just looks at what's there.
I think about him sometimes when I'm checking forecasts on my phone before a sail, all those pressure maps and wind models, and I wonder if he'd look at the same sky and say: you'll be fine after ten, no need to check.
He probably would. I check anyway.
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