Morocco gone slightly wrong

[mattonthesea]

Don't forget to get charts while doing bit of passage planning to pastures new as well, sat images in opencpn can be *so* useful ? Bing often a bit better than google for some reason. Arcgis sometimes good. Get em all! ?
Can be big downloads though, overnight with half decent connection helps. Sasplanet is win only unfortunately though some reports of it running OK under Wine in linux so might be possible in a raspberry pi.

Making mbTiles

Thanks. Useful links.
Using RPi 3 with 16 GB card. Wondering what the size of, say, a 30km sq image would be. Often working from sketchy signal ?

M

 

[GHA]

Thanks. Useful links.
Using RPi 3 with 16 GB card. Wondering what the size of, say, a 30km sq image would be. Often working from sketchy signal ?

M

Depends a lot on what zoom levels you have set to download, experimenting atm with different values.
Also, I use 32Gb cards for openplotter on a Pi, 16Gb was a little bit unstable, 32Gb seems happier.
Sasplanet can be downloaded here, unzipped & run, it doesn't install but just runs standalone. Navioncs & cmap links set up already. Keyboard shortcuts > N-navionics, b- bing, g - google satellite
Really useful free prog to check chart datums ?
Index of /Downloads

 

[GHA]

Thanks. Useful links.
Using RPi 3 with 16 GB card. Wondering what the size of, say, a 30km sq image would be. Often working from sketchy signal ?

M

quick play..... Santa Maria in Azores navionics at Z10, Z13, Z15, Z17 > 26.69mB, same area/zooms google satellite > 16.54mB

 

[john_morris_uk]

You can get swell predictions pretty easily, even offshore if you have a satellite phone which can handle Grib files. I use the MFWAM Europe model for Atlantic Portugal and the Algarve which would also probably cover Morocco. More info here: What is MFWAM weather model and how it works - Windy.app. I also check Navily which gives a good feel about a place provided you are aware of it’s limitations as others have mentioned.

“… if you have a satellite phone.” We don’t atm.

 

[GHA]

“… if you have a satellite phone.” We don’t atm.

Weatherfax receiver onboard?

High up the list for an offshore cruising boat imho

 

[Roberto]

“… if you have a satellite phone.” We don’t atm.

Actually, for a few days passage there is no strict need of a sat phone or long distance comms just for swell forecast: it's a variable which is very well forecast days in advance in particular along that coast as it all comes from north Atl storms and a few degrees error will not matter much in terms of navigational risk, just download some t+24/48/72h... charts before leaving and they will match very well the outcomes. Just add wind-waves if there is local wind.
On port approaches, swell period is at least as much important as height: long period swell even of moderate height has a lot of energy, when approaching a coastline the shoaling effect may multiply by 2-3 the swell height: a 1m swell with say 12-15s period will not be visible, as depth decreases the shoaling can create breakers 2m high out of nothing (actual height will depend upon bottom slope, swell steepness, etc).
It's a common observation, I am sure you've already heard/read: "we were approaching the coast in flat calm, a huge wave came out of nowhere and broke on our stern". Shoaling it is

 

[john_morris_uk]

Weatherfax receiver onboard?

High up the list for an offshore cruising boat imho

Yes. It’s a bit crude atm as it feeds my iPhone.

None of the software is written for our MacBook so a cheap Windows laptop is on the shopping list at the moment. We are probably going to supplement the SSB and weather fax systems we currently have with a sat phone as well.

 

[GHA]

Yes. It’s a bit crude atm as it feeds my iPhone.

None of the software is written for our MacBook so a cheap Windows laptop is on the shopping list at the moment. We are probably going to supplement the SSB and weather fax systems we currently have with a sat phone as well.

?
Big plus of weatherfax is that you can usually still get something usable even when propagation conditions aren't great.
Cheap laptop means easier to get at sasplanet as well, absolute gold dust! And not so scary as taking macbook in the dinghy to happy hour & free wifi ?
Though downloading takes forever, big files & slow, but works.

 

[Tradewinds]

Not as good as the dedicated program but it does work.
HF Weather Fax Marine Radio Fascimile Decoder App

Edit: I use this on my mac mini
Black Cat HF Weather Fax

 

[Frank Holden]

Having seem what two friends are doing with theirs I have asked Santa for an Iridium Go with a Predictwind sub to replace my Sailmail subscription.

intrepidhippo