Best weather sites

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Fat Freddies Cat

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Hi everybody,

We are just wondering if you could help with suggesting good weather sites to use for long-term cruising. At the moment we use passageweather and magic seaweed. They dont always agree, and we wondered what sites other cruisers use. We're on the Ile D'Yeu, hoping to cross Biscay, Spain, Portugal, the Canaries and the Caribbean. Thanks, Fat Freddie:
 
For the Biscay area down to the Canaries, Meteo France
For the Caribbean, Crown Weather Services and Storm Pulse.
 
Fat Freddies Cat said:
... At the moment we use passageweather and magic seaweed. They dont always agree...
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I've yet to find ANY two forecast sites that agree!!

I usually just look at them all and pick the one that best fits what weather I want.... usually works too!!
 
Fat Freddies Cat said:
Hi everybody,

We are just wondering if you could help with suggesting good weather sites to use for long-term cruising. At the moment we use passageweather and magic seaweed. They dont always agree, and we wondered what sites other cruisers use. We're on the Ile D'Yeu, hoping to cross Biscay, Spain, Portugal, the Canaries and the Caribbean. Thanks, Fat Freddie:
Click to expand...

First and foremost, you need a decent barometer, not one of those pretty 2" ones that adorn most yachts as standard and looks good but a proper one with a 6" dial that is free moving.

Secondly, you need to "read the glass" every hour and note the reading in your log book then you will be able to see any trends. You do have a passage log-book?? :rolleyes:

Unless you have an Iridium or Inmarsat-C satellite system installed then you you run out of weather information transmitted over wireless once you get a few miles off-shore, via Internet about 3 miles and via VHF about 25 miles. HF receivers are the best cheapest option if you have to rely on weather reports mid-ocean but you will need a computer or some such to decode the data, but your very reliable "falling glass" or "rapidly falling glass" will tell you better than anything else that you are in for a bad time or an extremely bad time and it is time to reef, deploy the sea anchor or series drogue and lay a hull under bare poles. :eek:

The Vion 4000 series electronic version of the aneroid barometer is designed for blue-water yachtsmen and is also a very good piece of kit to have on board as it has an audible alarm if the barometer starts falling (or rising) rapidly.

http://pdf.nauticexpo.com/pdf/vion/vion-marine/21873-1890-_4.html
 
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I like Windguru if I am thinking about sailing interisland out here in the Caribbean, as it gives a better pic of what wind speeds and directions might be at different times of the day and the rainfall totals plus it gives swell heights and direction al on a single page.

Stormpulse is brilliant if a severe weather system threatens.

Mind you I also give the way the clouds look over the mountains a hard look, make my own judgement and sometimes stay put regardless of the forecast.
 
Fat Freddies Cat said:
Hi everybody,

We are just wondering if you could help with suggesting good weather sites to use for long-term cruising. At the moment we use passageweather and magic seaweed. They dont always agree, and we wondered what sites other cruisers use. We're on the Ile D'Yeu, hoping to cross Biscay, Spain, Portugal, the Canaries and the Caribbean. Thanks, Fat Freddie:
Click to expand...

NATEX OK from France to Gib but remember to change stations and also some UK, Portuguese and Spanish sea areas are different although they may have the same names. If you can access internet, Windguru useful for coastal sailing and Meteo France is excellent for planning Biscay crossing.

Broadband dongles work 10-15 miles off in some areas but each country has dedicated dongle. Grib files via NASA HF receiver usually OK.
 
Fat Freddies Cat said:
Hi everybody,

We are just wondering if you could help with suggesting good weather sites to use for long-term cruising. At the moment we use passageweather and magic seaweed. They dont always agree, and we wondered what sites other cruisers use. We're on the Ile D'Yeu, hoping to cross Biscay, Spain, Portugal, the Canaries and the Caribbean. Thanks, Fat Freddie:
Click to expand...

Given the bandwidth, for texts, see links at http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Weather-Forecasts-On-The-Internet. For that specifica aream then http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Southwest-European-Marine-Weather-Forecast-Texts , http://weather.mailasail.com/Frank,...r/Southwest-European-Marine-Weather-Forecast-, Texts and http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Weather-Charts-On-The-Internet

In blue water, it depends on your comms.

With Iridium, any of the text forecasts can be got cheaply using Saildocs text retrieval service – free. See http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Marine-Weather-Forecast-Services-By-Email#webtexts. Also very efficient over Iridium is getting GRIB files either from Saildocs or MailASail. These are the same data ass on any other free GFS seervice.

Without Iridium, you will need, at least a HF/SSB receiver or, better, a transceiver. Better still, a transceiver and Iridium. Back-up is always a good idea. My blue water friends have INMARSAT-C, HF/SSB as marine operators and as HAMs, Iridium.

If you are thinking of Iridium, check out MailASail http://www.mailasail.com/. Ed Wildgoos is knowledgeable and helpful. .

In blue water, it depends on your comms.

With Iridium, any of the text forecasts can be got cheaply using Saildocs text retrieval service – free. See http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Marine-Weather-Forecast-Services-By-Email#webtexts. Also very efficient over Iridium is getting GRIB files either from Saildocs or MailASail. These are the same data ass on any other free GFS seervice.

Without Iridium, you will need, at least a HF/SSB receiver or, better, a transceiver. Better still, a transceiver and Iridium. Back-up is always a good idea. My blue water friends have INMARSAT-C, HF/SSB as marine operators and as HAMs, Iridium.

If you want or have Iridium, check out MailASail, http://www.mailasail.com/ You will find Ed Wildgoose to be most helpful.

European NAVTEX skeds are here http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/European-And-Mediterranean-Navtex-Schedules.

RadioFax skeds are at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf

All that is probably information overload.
 
Fat Freddies Cat said:
Hi everybody,

We are just wondering if you could help with suggesting good weather sites to use for long-term cruising. . . . . .
Click to expand...

Welcome to the YBW forum. :)

Long term cruising means SSB unless you are filthy rich and have InmarSat or some such.

Here is a definitive list of all the world-wide HF weather transmissions published 13 May 2011:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf

If you don't use this list, others will find it useful. ;)
 
Hi everybody,

We have a very intermittent internet where we are so I wanted to take this chance to thank you all for your input, and all your advice, not to mention time. It's really great to know the possibilities, to have technical knowhow passed on and also to know why and where people use the different sites. Whenever possible we are exploring all your suggestions and are sure others like us will benefit too.

We noticed no-one mentioned Herb, whom we had heard of, but have not yet tried to contact. Is he still there?

thanks again all,

Fat Freddies Cat :D
 
Fat Freddies Cat said:
Hi everybody,

We have a very intermittent internet where we are so I wanted to take this chance to thank you all for your input, and all your advice, not to mention time. It's really great to know the possibilities, to have technical knowhow passed on and also to know why and where people use the different sites. Whenever possible we are exploring all your suggestions and are sure others like us will benefit too.

We noticed no-one mentioned Herb, whom we had heard of, but have not yet tried to contact. Is he still there?

thanks again all,

Fat Freddies Cat :D
Click to expand...


you asked for "weather sites", presumably internet sites, then mentioned Herb,which is a radio-only service

do you need specifically internet sites, or any (or most) available sources of weather information for your intended sailing program ?
 
I forgot to mention Chris Parker http://www.mwxc.com/

and I don't think anyone else did.

I don't use him myself but lots of folks swear by him in the Caribbean. In fact sometimes anchorages empty out when he says it is a good day to go. He will provide a personalised forecast specific to your area for an annual fee.

I think he also does the Atlantic ??

He also broadcasts on SSB a generalised version of his forecast. I will sometimes listen to this but propogation is poor at the moment.
 
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Fat Freddies Cat said:
Hi everybody,

We have a very intermittent internet where we are so I wanted to take this chance to thank you all for your input, and all your advice, not to mention time. It's really great to know the possibilities, to have technical knowhow passed on and also to know why and where people use the different sites. Whenever possible we are exploring all your suggestions and are sure others like us will benefit too.

We noticed no-one mentioned Herb, whom we had heard of, but have not yet tried to contact. Is he still there?

thanks again all,

Fat Freddies Cat :D
Click to expand...

Talking to people who have done Atlantic crossings tell me that they do as well using GRIBs as when using Herb. When you think about it, where does he get his information rom? Not his own fertile imagination, that is for sure.

With Iridium, a few kb a day will give you several days ahead over a large area. Experiment with time and space intervals. Use either SailDocs or MailASail for the purpose. If using Iridiu, consult MailASail - Ed Wildgoose.
 
For the Med, we use :

General:
Passageweather
Ugrib and Zygrib (one for wind, the other for waves)

Close to shore:
WindGuru

and

Weatheronline.co.uk to triangulate the info as they use a different system.

It´s also worth paying a visit to the local marinas when you arrive in a new area, as they often use more localised weather forecasts, often from Government sites.

Justin
 
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