Sailing By is the tune which precedes the
shipping forecast on
BBC Radio 4. It was composed by
Ronald Binge, who was known as a writer of
light music. The music is played at about 12.45am (
GMT), if the
Radio 4 schedule has not over-run, and serves the function of making sure the shipping forecast is always at exactly the same time.
I always find it to be a good cure for insomnia, but it is also terribly evocative for many people. The music is mainly big sweeping phrases of strings, with the wind providing what seems like little surges of waves in between. It is played by the John Scott Orchestra, was recorded in 1965. It is a classic BBC relic, much like Alistair Cooke's 'Letter From America'.