74 THE OCEAN 



for days over a sea as smooth as glass and with 

 just a gentle breeze which scarcely ruffles the 

 surface of the ocean and the traveller may 

 make the trip back and forth over this route 

 for years without encountering a severe storm. 

 On the other hand every trip may be rough 

 and boisterous for, after all, the question of 

 good or bad weather is largely a matter of 

 chance or "luck." The region off Cape Hat- 

 teras is usually considered stormy and rough 

 and yet the author has made sixteen ocean 

 trips past Hatteras and on every occasion but 

 one, has enjoyed the pleasantest of weather and 

 the smoothest of seas. 



Nevertheless Hatteras well deserves its rep- 

 utation for rough weather and during many 

 months of the year one may expect unsettled, 

 boisterous and heavy weather off this cape. 

 It is in this region that sudden,* severe squalls, 

 showers, electrical phenomena, and even snow 

 in June, are often encountered and not infre- 

 quently one or more waterspouts are sighted 

 near the edge of the Gulf Stream even in 

 smooth weather. On one occasion the author 

 saw three of these strange funnel-shaped col- 



