Mackerel sky at night, sailor's delight?

Well, a mackerel sky indicates instability in the atmosphere possibly leading to thunderstorms if moist air moves in. So, maybe not a sailor's delight. This nighttime mackerel sky was painted about 7 pm on November 13th while facing west. The leading edge of the front is on the right (north) with the scales of the mackerel following behind. 


These altocumulus clouds are roughly parallel and are said to resemble the scales of the King Mackerel. The King Mackerel would have been familiar to Atlantic sailors and is still plentiful today. This is a beautiful fish, silvery and glistening. You can tell that it is as fast as quicksilver.