Weather Forecasts

[ssjpiv]

Just curious as to who people rate and use??

 

[skip50]

Simon Keeling as per Scuttlebutt etc. www.sailingweather.co.uk

If you want to you can can phone him up and discuss matters. I did once for a cross-Channel and he was very helpful (and right!).

HTH

 

[philip_stevens]

I use Windfinder and find it very accurate.

It is the site used by the Isles of Scilly ferry Scillonian III - referencing the Seven Stones Lightship.

 

[RobbieW]

Just curious as to who people rate and use??

For what area ?

 

[ssjpiv]

Area

For the Wash/East coast.

 

[RobbieW]

Then I'd use the Met Office Shipping & Inshore waters, a couple of WindGuru spots that match where you sail (Hustanton looks closest, but there isnt great coverage for the area) and the occasional Grib download via zyGrib.

 

[NickRobinson]

xcweather

http://www.xcweather.co.uk/

 

[Caer Urfa]

For the Wash/East coast.

One I use is http://www.myweather2.com/Marine/Coastal-Areas/United-Kingdom/Exposed-Off-Whitley-Bay.aspx

It can be reset for most area, big benifit is in addition to wind info it also shows the swell height and wave height.

I have monitored the site forecast for a few months now offshore when sailing and it is fairly accurate.

Anther vote for XC Weather http://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/NE29_6DU again input your boats local sailing area.

Mike

 

[franksingleton]

Just curious as to who people rate and use??

It all depends on what you are doing, where, what communications you have, your own ability as a sailor, your boat and your ability to understand what forecasts can and cannot do for you. Weather is a subject in which a simple question rarely has a simple answer. My page at http://weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Understanding-Using-Marine-Weather-Forecasts may help to decide.

As a cruising sailor my main concern is to look ahead for up to a week. For that purpose, GRIB files are probably the easiest tool. This is particularly so if you use them alongside synoptic charts.

Depending on your needs, wishes or preferences GRIB files are freely available in several ways:-

1. Email from Saildocs or MailASail. The original method developed by American long distance cruising sailors. Cheapest in communications costs and the most flexible of all in terms of area of interest, number of days ahead, time intervals, grid data spacing and elements required. A small attachment can provide a lot of information.

2. .File Transfer Protocol. Effectively connects your computer directly to that supplying the data without the computer overheads of a browser. The two most prominent are, zyGrib and UGrib; Again, these are cheap in communications costs; almost as flexible in terms of area of interest, etc.

3. Handheld device (eg iPad) apps. Basically, these use FTP with all the same advantages.

4. On a browser giving winds at grid points or isobars on a chart; eg Passageweather, Weatheronline, Magic Seaweed, Windfinder.

5. On a browser but interpolated from the ½ degree grid (~ 50 km) to specific locations; eg XCWeather and Windguru. In the same category are the allegedly “site specific” forecasts on such as Weather Underground, Weather Channel etc.

The last two are probably the easiest of all to get but are totally inflexible and cannot easily be saved for later reference when you are offline. It cannot be over-emphasised that all the services listed are, almost without exception, the GFS. My personal preference is to use email from Saildocs with their repeat request facility but with the zyGrib viewer. One message gets a routine, daily GRIB until I say “Stop.”

Remember that GRIBs are provided (usually) by the US NOAA, General Forecast System – a Numerical Weather Prediction system. The models use a grid of about 25 km but only provide us with data at 50 km. They can only represent weather on a scale of arbour 100 km at best.

There is and can be no difference in quality of the forecasts. Use whichever you find easiest to get and use. The prime value of these is as planning tools up to 6 or 7 days ahead. They can also be used to help understanding of synoptic charts.

For go or no go decisions for today, I start with whatever id the local National Weather Service – the UK Met Office in your case. Going across the Channel or North Sea, I would want to know what was the local forecast. Bear in mind that any broadcast inshore or open sea forecasts is for 24 hours and covers a large area or long stretch of a complex coast. They cannot be specific. Treat them as a warning service.

If you have a need for more local detail or feel unsure, then try Simon Keeling. He will charge, of course; he is not a charity but he can bend his mind to your specific needs.

What would I not use? In brief, any forecast that purports to be giving you local weather but is, in fact, interpolated from a NWP suite of programs eg from GRIBs but with no human input. There are too many to name. In the group in my bullet No 5 above are some that I would not take literally. You will do just as well, probably better, by doing your own interpolation and adding a mix of nous, experience and common sense.