Weather updates for Atlantic crossing - can anyone do it for us?

[sebastiannr]

Hi there,

We're crossing the pond for the first time this year on our 36 ft High Tension.

We have a Yellowbrick sat tracker, which can send and receive text messages / emails anywhere in the world. I spoke to the manufacturers about receiving weather information and they said that the only way to do it is for someone with internet access to email it to you in textual form.

We don't really have anyone back home that has enough knowledge of meteorology to do this for us, so we were wondering if anyone on the forums might be interested?

It would involve checking our position on our Yellowbrick website and looking at passageweather.com or equivalent, and giving us an update every 3 days or so, with wind forecasts and warnings of any approaching nasty weather systems etc.

We'd be very grateful if someone could do this, but realize that it's a bit of a commitment.

Many thanks!

Seb and Becky.

 

[oldvarnish]

It's worth asking yourself if you need forecasts. Given that you're in Lanzarote, I imagine you are off to the Caribbean. It's a safe bet that the wind will be behind you between F4 and F7, or there will be no wind at all.

Before you leave, it will be quite easy to get a five day forecast to make sure there's nothing nasty coming off Africa, so the first week is more or less dealt with. After that, it's too far to turn back so you have to go with whatever the weather throws at you. In all likelihood you'll have a nice downwind passage.

I can understand why you'd feel happier with weather forecasts all the way across (I quite like them too) but you don't really need them.

Don't ignore Mindelo in Cape Verde as a stop-over. Good place these days, and safe with good berthing, fuel and chandlery and even a Raymarine service centre, if you need that sort of thing.

Have a good one.

 

[macd]

+1 with oldvarnish (including his liking for the (more western) Cape Verdes).

Coming back is a different proposition, though, and I can certainly see the sense in using part of your westbound crossing as a dry run for forecasts coming east, assuming that's your eventual plan. I crossed solo west to east 18 months ago, a fairly rumbustious season, and am eternally grateful for the text info received. (I received a stern 'turn right' message at 32 north, held that latitude for over 1000 miles, and missed the worst of the hammering boats received at 'traditional' latitudes, whilst also burning no diesel. The worst low keeping me company was 969Mb, or about the depth of last Monday's storm, so I was pleased to be well clear of that.)

You'd be surprised how much info you can get into a 160 (?) character text message, but it takes a degree of discipline and a logical approach. When are you heading west? I might be in a position to help, but couldn't commit for your eastbound passage.

 

[lenseman]

I have been known to send wx reports to yachts on passage on all three oceans.

What is the name of your yacht, PM me if necessary ?



.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Hi there,

We're crossing the pond for the first time this year on our 36 ft High Tension.

We have a Yellowbrick sat tracker, which can send and receive text messages / emails anywhere in the world. I spoke to the manufacturers about receiving weather information and they said that the only way to do it is for someone with internet access to email it to you in textual form.

We don't really have anyone back home that has enough knowledge of meteorology to do this for us, so we were wondering if anyone on the forums might be interested?

It would involve checking our position on our Yellowbrick website and looking at passageweather.com or equivalent, and giving us an update every 3 days or so, with wind forecasts and warnings of any approaching nasty weather systems etc.

We'd be very grateful if someone could do this, but realize that it's a bit of a commitment.

Many thanks!

Seb and Becky.

check out sailmail I think they might be just what you're after! http://www.sailmail.com

 

[Tony Cross]

PM sent

 

[GHA]

In addition, if you get something like a degen 1103 SSB reciever and some software on a laptop or tablet you can get weatherfax and be your own forecaster as well.

 

[RAI]

PredictWind offer a service, but for money.

 

[davidej]

Does Herb Hilgenburg still offer forecasts and routing advice?

It is a long time since I last crossed but we always tuned in to him on the SSB

 

[john_q]

Does Herb Hilgenburg still offer forecasts and routing advice? on the SSB

Herb has retired