Chapter 586 I Fulfilled My Dream
Hurricanes and typhoons are both tropical cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere. There is no essential difference between them; they are simply given different names because they occur in different regions.
Super tropical cyclones between the International Date Line and the Greenwich Meridian are called hurricanes, while tropical cyclones that appear in the Asia-Pacific region are called typhoons.
Qin Mo knew how powerful typhoons were. Taiwan Island was frequently hit by the aftershocks of typhoons; even the aftershocks of passing typhoons could force the port to close. He had often heard Kaihime mention the devastation left by Typhoon Fusang. In his previous life, he had also witnessed the horrors of North American hurricanes on television; massive steel ships weighing tens of thousands of tons were often blown about.
"Send the signal quickly, instruct the fleet to sail southwest at full speed!" Qin Mo looked up at the darkening sky, her heart also beginning to darken.
"God is really giving me face! I was just joking around, hoping for a storm to show them our big ships and our technology, but I didn't expect to be greeted by a hurricane!"
Qin Mo began to have doubts, wondering if her fleeting wish from a few days ago had led to her current predicament.
Hurricanes and storms are both winds, but they are not equivalent. A tropical cyclone must have sustained winds of level 12 or higher at its center to qualify as a hurricane or typhoon.
What happens when a wind exceeding 118 kilometers per hour blows on a wooden sailboat?
Qin Mo dared not think about it, much less want it to become a reality.
"Qin Mo, didn't you say we weren't far from the shore? We'll sail east at full speed; even if the ship sinks, we can drift with the current to the shore..."
“Nelia, you grew up on this continent and have experienced hurricanes firsthand. Haven’t you noticed that hurricanes always move from west to east? And most of the time they rotate counterclockwise. If we go east now, we might just be blocking its path.”
“I never knew hurricanes had routes. They appear suddenly and leave suddenly, and they even go counterclockwise…” Nelia was speechless after hearing Qin Mo’s words, and she couldn’t understand it at all.
Qin Mo waved her hand and didn't explain further. Explaining the hurricane's path to Nelia, who had never seen a satellite cloud image, was too much trouble. It would be better to do something else with that time.
"Send a message to other ships: don't panic, just treat it as a storm drill."
The "Dayuan No. 1" signaled to Qin Mo with flags and lights, and the other four ships responded to the flagship in turn, and the entire fleet entered the most intense and busy state since setting sail.
Qin Mo did not enter the cockpit. Instead, he climbed to the lookout tower at the top of the mast and stood with the sentry on duty, which commanded the respect of the busy crew members.
“Your Highness, you don’t actually need to come up. I’ve been to sea with Lord Allen three times, and I’ve even encountered storms before… I can manage!” The sentry was both excited and nervous about Qin Mo’s arrival, so he wanted to ask him to come down.
"Hmm! I'll just stay here for a while, then I'll go down. You don't need to stay here when the storm really comes. Our cockpit is high enough that we should be able to see the giant waves in the distance."
When a ship encounters a storm, if the bridge is not high enough, a lookout or sentry must be placed at a higher position. This is because ships often tilt during storms, and it can be difficult to see sudden giant waves. In such cases, the sentry must issue a warning so that the captain can take appropriate measures.
"Your Highness, this is my post and my duty!" The sentry was young, but his eyes were firm, which moved Qin Mo.
Qin Mo personally fastened the young sentry's seatbelt, checked that the buckle was secure, patted him on the shoulder, then jumped off the mast, locked himself in the cabin, and waited for the hurricane to arrive.
The wind speed inside a hurricane can exceed 100 kilometers per hour, but its movement speed is not that fast. In low latitudes, it is only 20 to 30 kilometers per hour, and in high latitudes, it is only 50 to 70 kilometers per hour. Only under very special circumstances can it reach 100 kilometers per hour.
The hurricane Qin Mo encountered wasn't very fast, giving his fleet time to maneuver. By the time the hurricane arrived, the fleet had successfully entered a navigable semicircle.
The wind wasn't too strong yet, but only one-third of the ship's sails were raised. The officer on duty was watching the anemometer intently, ready to have the sailors roll up the sails at any moment to prevent the strong winds from breaking the sail ropes or even the mast.
The downpour came suddenly, and the dark clouds obscured the dawn that should have arrived, plunging the entire sea into darkness. Even the signal lights on the masts could not illuminate the distance.
"Chirp..."
A green signal flare was launched into the sky from the "Dayuan No. 1" ship, and a moment later, four more signal flares rose in succession in the distance.
This was the ships reporting their positions to each other. In rough seas, it was difficult for ships to maintain distance, so Qin Mo requested that they use signal flares to contact each other every half hour to try not to get separated.
"Your Highness, this ship is fantastic! Even such huge waves couldn't harm us. Please rest assured and go to rest! If there's any urgent matter, I'll go and report it!"
"The worst of the storm is yet; the afternoon is probably when the real challenges begin."
The captain found that the wind and waves could not do anything to the "Dayuan No. 1" because its huge hull had enough stability, but Qin Mo's words made him even more nervous.
Sure enough, the wind and waves began to intensify significantly after noon, and by evening they had reached a terrifying level.
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