Weather forecast
When you go to sea, it is essential to be well prepared. And, being prepared also means anticipating the weather, whether it's coastal sailing or on the high seas.
First, it's about finding the right information, and then, being able to interpret it. The safety of the crew and the boat is at stake, as well as their comfort.
Where can I find the weather information?
The linked site will give you a general idea of the current winds blowing across the globe. You can get an idea of the pressure systems at a glance.
The linked pressure maps allow you to calculate yourself the strength of the wind you are likely to have in your area. Unfortunately, I have only found maps for North Atlantic and Europe so far.
Passageweather.com is a site that will allow you to prepare your offshore sailing in each region of the globe. Pressures, Winds, sea, temperature, precipitation ... everything is there! a real wonder.
To prepare for a crossing, it is important to choose your season. Not all seasons are suitable for crossing the Atlantic, for example, and it is no coincidence that all transatlantic races are run in November and December.
When planning a crossing, Pilot Charts will help you statistically know what the prevailing winds are and how hard they are blowing during the chosen season. They will also give you statistics about high lows and temperatures.
Here are some additional links that will help you make the right decisions:
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
- Meteo Consult - my favorite for Europe! (also available as a mobile app )
- Swiss weather - only for Switzerland (also available as a mobile app )
- Météo France Marine - marine only for France
- Aemet - Spain
- ECMWF - global situation for enthusiasts
- Magicseaweed - information on storms to avoid at all costs
- Windfinder - the essential
- History of grib files - to be used for example with the Zygrib software
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
If you are using a tablet, you can use the Weather4D Pro app. Here you can download the grib files for your navigation region. This application is really well done, but is not free .. on the other hand, you can also do routing with it.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
I'm stopping there for now .. there is so much information out there, but you might get lost in it as well.