johnalison
Well-Known Member
In the Channel Isles, Jersey Radio give reports from Coastal stations regularly, including swell height and pressure. This seems beyond the capability of our own Coastguards.
How do you find out the forecast when on board?
- Thread starter Zagato
- Start date
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
I think we've been overtaken on this one, lots of good answers for you!
I'm outside UK anyway, but just about anywhere has vhf reports from local coastal stations.
Dunno why more places such as UK don't use the Italian style, continuous recorded report for sea areas all round the Med, regularly updated in English and Italian. Very good service. Its either Ch 66 or 68, cant recall off top of my head.
Koeketiene
Well-Known Member
It does - caught it yesterday on the way home from work.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Phone numbers
5 day forecast by phone from Adlard Coles:
National 09068 969 640
Scotland North 09068 969 641
Scotland East 09068 969 642
North East 09068 969 643
East 09068 969 644
Anglia 09068 969 645
Channel East 09068 969 646
Mid Channel 09068 969 647
South West 09068 969 648
Bristol 09068 969 649
Wales 09068 969 650
There are others, and fax lines too. £1.50 /min
Met Office
0870900890 to set up as a user then 08700767888 for UK or 08700787818 for Med/Canaries cost £17 a go.
Sorry according to the website this service has gone, I was using the 2012 Almanac
MarineCall
08456101800 to get more info or one of their special numbers:
North Foreland to Selsey Bill 09068969646
Selsey to Lyme Regis 09068969647
Lyme Regis to Hartland Point 09068969648
60p /min
Marinecall also have a website at marinecall.co.uk
Solent will broadcast on ch23 (east IOW) ch86 (west IOW) and Ch84 (Portland) at 0130,0430,0730,1030,1330,1630,1930,2230
5 day forecast by phone from Adlard Coles:
National 09068 969 640
Scotland North 09068 969 641
Scotland East 09068 969 642
North East 09068 969 643
East 09068 969 644
Anglia 09068 969 645
Channel East 09068 969 646
Mid Channel 09068 969 647
South West 09068 969 648
Bristol 09068 969 649
Wales 09068 969 650
There are others, and fax lines too. £1.50 /min
Met Office
0870900890 to set up as a user then 08700767888 for UK or 08700787818 for Med/Canaries cost £17 a go.
Sorry according to the website this service has gone, I was using the 2012 Almanac
MarineCall
08456101800 to get more info or one of their special numbers:
North Foreland to Selsey Bill 09068969646
Selsey to Lyme Regis 09068969647
Lyme Regis to Hartland Point 09068969648
60p /min
Marinecall also have a website at marinecall.co.uk
Solent will broadcast on ch23 (east IOW) ch86 (west IOW) and Ch84 (Portland) at 0130,0430,0730,1030,1330,1630,1930,2230
Last edited:
lustyd
Well-Known Member
The problem is that if you rely on this service and then go sailing in the week you're stuffed
chanelyacht
Well-Known Member
Mainly due to lack of 24hr coastal stations.
Seajet
...
I'd say the morning 05:20 forecast is usually the important decision making one ( along with common sense and other factors ) - in the evening one is probably in port at some stage so can stroll along and look in the harbourmaster / marina office window or just ask.
This is talking about weekend hops, a different thing on holiday cruises; I haven't tried it for ages but if one is unfortunate enough to have a TV on board Ceefax or the ITV version used to put up the shipping forecast, which seems better than paying squillions on premium phone lines, does anyone know if they still do this ? My TV goes through Sky so seems to knock this out.
Saying that, the local forecasts on TV are pretty good so that's an excuse for having one on the boat.
This is talking about weekend hops, a different thing on holiday cruises; I haven't tried it for ages but if one is unfortunate enough to have a TV on board Ceefax or the ITV version used to put up the shipping forecast, which seems better than paying squillions on premium phone lines, does anyone know if they still do this ? My TV goes through Sky so seems to knock this out.
Saying that, the local forecasts on TV are pretty good so that's an excuse for having one on the boat.
Last edited:
Rigger Mortice
N/A
You can also get an eyeball view of conditions from NCI stations. Very useful if you want to get a feel for conditions at a destination a few hours away.
Some local BBC stations also do the shipping forecast. Radio Devon used to; I don't know if it still does.
Some local BBC stations also do the shipping forecast. Radio Devon used to; I don't know if it still does.
Last edited:
jbweston
Well-Known Member
In Denmark and Sweden (and this worked in the UK when I last sailed here in 2011):
1. NASA Clipper Navtex (not good in some harbours - but best of the lot when available as it 'writes it down' for me).
2. Internet forecasts from relevant national met offices to tablet PC (wherever free wifi is available).
3 Windguru and GRIB files downloaded to Zygrib (ditto) -good for a few days ahead.
4. VHF (coastguard etc) official forecasts.
And, if desperate because none of the other are available,
5. Asking another boat for a note of her navtex/vhf/anyold forecast, or using the sometimes-day-old sheet on the harbour office wall.
1. NASA Clipper Navtex (not good in some harbours - but best of the lot when available as it 'writes it down' for me).
2. Internet forecasts from relevant national met offices to tablet PC (wherever free wifi is available).
3 Windguru and GRIB files downloaded to Zygrib (ditto) -good for a few days ahead.
4. VHF (coastguard etc) official forecasts.
And, if desperate because none of the other are available,
5. Asking another boat for a note of her navtex/vhf/anyold forecast, or using the sometimes-day-old sheet on the harbour office wall.
Woodlouse
Well-Known Member
Never been overly disappointed by the Coastguard forecasts that are broadcast every three hours. When well offshore I go for the World Service shipping forecast at 0520 if I remember and if I can tune in. Since getting an iPhone last year though I've been using the uGrib app which has been rather useful when in range.
Rowana
Two steps lower than the ships' cat
I've got the same one, but bought from my local radio/tv shop, which don't charge swindelry prices! Mine was £30.00
As seajet says, set it to record early morning broadcast, then listen to it while having breakfast at a sensible hour!
Zagato
Well-Known Member
Thanks if I stick with cruising I'll look into forking out for one
ffiill
Well-Known Member
Look out of the window
[29051]
...
It's worth getting the layout of the VHF forecasts abroad from their met office websites, and making yourself some blank forms to match. Much easier to take down if you have the sea areas already.
Our 3G kindle is also brilliant. Even though Amazon have restricted overseas use to 50mb per month, it is plenty if we only use it for weather forecasts. It is clunky, but once you have the bookmarks set up, it is very easy and free. We have hardly ever struggled to get a signal. And the forecast stays on the page until you over-write it. I believe there is still no data restriction in your home country. I certainly used ours a good deal last month in the UK whilst travelling, and did not hit the limit.
Our 3G kindle is also brilliant. Even though Amazon have restricted overseas use to 50mb per month, it is plenty if we only use it for weather forecasts. It is clunky, but once you have the bookmarks set up, it is very easy and free. We have hardly ever struggled to get a signal. And the forecast stays on the page until you over-write it. I believe there is still no data restriction in your home country. I certainly used ours a good deal last month in the UK whilst travelling, and did not hit the limit.
jac
Well-Known Member
If in harbour, IPad to Internet and then favourite site. I also always cross check against windguru and then if just messing about in Solent, sites such as bramblemet for the as is conditions. Text only sites and seems to come through reasonably quickly. Whilst sailing, VHF as others have said.
On last boat had the clipper Navtex - bought after hearing Brixham coastguard announcing a force 8 imminent and being 2-3 hours from safety. Navtex always worked fine but aerial was flimsy. We would turn on as soon as we got onboard and we would have up to date forecasts on tap within a few hours. Not sure if I'd put one on the new boat - have had IPad for nearly a year and seem to work ok and is instant when inshore. New boat has good cockpit speaker for VHF so harder to miss the forecast.
On last boat had the clipper Navtex - bought after hearing Brixham coastguard announcing a force 8 imminent and being 2-3 hours from safety. Navtex always worked fine but aerial was flimsy. We would turn on as soon as we got onboard and we would have up to date forecasts on tap within a few hours. Not sure if I'd put one on the new boat - have had IPad for nearly a year and seem to work ok and is instant when inshore. New boat has good cockpit speaker for VHF so harder to miss the forecast.
Seajet
...
Thanks if I stick with cruising I'll look into forking out for one
Oi ! Zagato,
we'll have none of that thankyou, you've got a lovely boat there ( for a non- Anderson ) so stick with her, she'll repay your loyalty.
I have a cockpit speaker for the VHF ( did have for entertainment radio for a while ) but I just plain miss forecasts, maybe a huge alarm clock would be my answer though I have tried that sort of thing.
I do think the real answer is a laptop; if offshore out of range one almost has to take whatever weather comes along anyway.
Plan A for my refit this year is to save up for a decent laptop, along with a list of mod's and purchases which goes to 2 pages of A4, she wasn't even going to get a refit until my health packed up, and the chances of everything on the list actually happening is about the same as me pulling Bo Derek...
It would be a treat to sit on the boat and dial up Chimet for instance.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
What do you use?
2 coke tins with a bit of string stretched between them
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
Zagato, do you not have a 3g phone?
If you do, but are anchoring in no signal areas, you could use an app like sailgrib and load grib files before you set off.
Free version allows up to +48, but it's easy to fool by requesting a grib for +51 to +108
Send a mail to: query@saildocs.com
No subject required
send gfs:30N,65N,40W,20E/1,1/51,54,...,108/PRMSL,WIND,PRESS,APCP
1st 48hrs
send gfs:30N,65N,40W,20E/1,1/0,3,...,48/PRMSL,WIND,PRESS,APCP
If you do, but are anchoring in no signal areas, you could use an app like sailgrib and load grib files before you set off.
Free version allows up to +48, but it's easy to fool by requesting a grib for +51 to +108
Send a mail to: query@saildocs.com
No subject required
send gfs:30N,65N,40W,20E/1,1/51,54,...,108/PRMSL,WIND,PRESS,APCP
1st 48hrs
send gfs:30N,65N,40W,20E/1,1/0,3,...,48/PRMSL,WIND,PRESS,APCP
Victoria Sponge
Well-Known Member
I use a laptop with either free wi fi or a dongle.
onesea
Well-Known Member
Smart phone...
