Route/passage planning software

[nickrj]

Hi all,

Is anyone able to recommend any passage planning applications? I've heard talk of passage planning software that calculates optimum routes based on historical weather data, pilot charts, and other factors... Sounds interesting, but I've not been able to find anything like it. I imagine it is quite specialised... ?

Cheers, Nick

 

[ChrisE]

I think what you are referring to in VPP2, visual passage planner 2. I've had a copy for ten years and for long (or short distance for that matter) routeing it is the dogs doo-dahs. Here's a link http://www.digwave.com/

 

[charles_reed]

Max-Sea - also has a routeing module, giving optimum courses for downloaded GRIB files. Expensive and can be improved upon by any reasonably experienced sailor.
Only runs on WinXP (I think), though they may have re-written it for Vista by now.

I've used 9.7, I think they're on to Version 13 or 17 now.

Informatique & Mer
Technopole Izarbel
64210 Bidart France

0033 559 438100 Marie-Emmanuelle Piot or Phillippe Rabar

 

[nickrj]

Oohhh, VPP is very cool. I just spent an hour using the demo... Quite impressive.

I didn't realise MaxSea had a routing module, I'll have to take a look at it. Thanks for the tips,

Nick

 

[mixmaster]

The do indeed have a routing module. Used pretty much by all the Vendee Globe sailors. Michael Desjoyeux was in fact "testing" their latest and greatest.

 

[charles_reed]

There is a world of difference between VPP and MaxSea, in fact you can use Google Earth for free to do a very similar job to VPP, and I do.

Max-sea module is a real-time interactive one which takes note from downloaded GRIBs of fronts, depressions and calms and plots you a course, within pre-determined parameters to optimise conditions.

Ideal for offshore use, not very much good for coastal work and as already remarked, almost standard equipment for oceanic racing.

Personally I'd rather have a good routeing planner, because GRIBs do need human intervention to forecast accurately, being mere computer simulations which get farther and farther from actual conditions as the time-horizon extends. as I've said I've only used V9.12 and can't justify the cost of upgrading for the use I'd get from it.

 

[ChrisE]

Nah, VPP uses oceanic pilots for planning hence its name. For example it will tell you the average wind speed and direction plus frequency of gales and fog on your route for any given month. It also has the ocenanic currents plumbed in.

So you can fool around with your route and its timing to make best use of or at least avoid the worst of the weather and currents. You can also supply your boat's wind characteristics and it will guesstimate your theoretical passage time given the average wind direction and speed on your course.

Once you are off and running then use Max-sea or whatever with GRIBs, etc to give you the weather for your actual voyage. VPP is for working out your routing prior to the voyage.

 

[Conachair]

I got copy of VPP other day, does seem good even if only used as an easy way to get at the pilot chart data, presumably it uses the same data? I was given world gribs for every day from 1990 to 1999 the other day, sadly bit big to email but one day when I´m really bored I might check with pilot book data. Need to be very bored! Never sailed Pacific but from reading other boats websites an El Nino year could really mess up what pilot charts say should be a beautiful tradewind passage. When was the last one? Back to the question, in my brief ocean crossing experience as good a way as any for me is to drink red wine, stare at the pilot charts for hours and spend a while on the web reading what everyone else does. World cruising routes great as well. Good luck!!

 

[sailorman]

send big files via skype

 

[charles_reed]

Thank you for the correction.

 

[ChrisE]

Always a pleasure doing business with you, Charles.

 

[graham42]

sailorman

the 10 year worldwide grib files were available from "setsail" as a free extra if buying maxsea from them.
any usa yacht with a maxsea will probably have these pilot grib charts.
they are good but not as practical as vpp2

maxsea 10.1.3.2 is excellent for day to day planning and weather routing when you include your boats macro. why bother updating, version 10.3.2 is more difficult to use with its newer layout.
maxsea 12 is available but it requires the new c-map charts and wont read the old ones.[the old ones are freely available]

best way to transfer files is p2p thro mininova providing the sender can upload large files and remain online 24/7 or a chance encounter via cd.

skype! is ok for photos & emails on uk snail internet