Weather Routing

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by did-g

Hi
How do I deal with :

In 15 kn wind I can motor at 6 kn upwind which is better than I can sail but not much. cf Images

I try to play with overlap but without result.

The overlap has issues. I should change how it is calculated

Note:
I'm using boundaries created from vector charts (2m depth contour, isolated dangers in safe water) and gribs good enough for that kind of routing being realist.

What's missing is some kind of 'time to impact' test on:
- grounding at this heading.
- grounding if drifting (need a drifting polar with negative speed?).

We still don't have the API to get depth from vector charts.

Theoretically, negative speed polar should work, but I haven't tried it.

ie computed Toulinguet route is ok, no way for Pointe du Raz later.

Moreover if we add tide level with 0m depth contour WR could route through 'Trouz Yar"; current data are good enough for it!

Again, no way to deal with depths from plugins yet.

This would be a great improvement to opencpn to add, as it is needed by watchdog as well.

Which chart would be used if there are several? Many charts have both soundings and contours, so which do we use?

[Robert_Nilsen]

Hi!
Im trying to find out how to use this cool tool, but are meeting some limitations, and they are propably like they are supposed to be.
1. I canot find an easy way to pick waypoints from my waypoint-list.
2. My polarfile do not contain data above 20 knots of wind, thereby the calculations fails when gribfile contain higher wind. is this right?

this project is fantastic. thanks to everyone that contributes.

[rgleason]

Originally Posted by Robert_Nilsen

Hi!
Im trying to find out how to use this cool tool, but are meeting some limitations, and they are propably like they are supposed to be.
1. I canot find an easy way to pick waypoints from my waypoint-list.
2. My polarfile do not contain data above 20 knots of wind, thereby the calculations fails when gribfile contain higher wind. is this right?

this project is fantastic. thanks to everyone that contributes.

Robert
For weatherrouting waypoints position cursor and right click and pick weatherrouting waypoint.

For higher wind speeds add a heavy wind polar for your boat with smaller set of sails, or just add a good bigger boat with higher wind speeds, just for testing and learning.

[Robert_Nilsen]

Haha, how could I miss that one?
"For weatherrouting waypoints position cursor and right click and pick weatherrouting waypoint."

Thanks :-)

[rgleason]

The plugin wiki is useful, if you haven't seen it...
even though it is under revision...
https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=opencpnpencpn_user_manuallugins:we ather:weather_routing

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by Taarnskov

Hi Sean,

I hope you can find a solution from the two enclosed files.

Kind regards,

Lars

corrected now in github.

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by kevinvh

I have been using the Weather Routing PI (1.11), Climatology PI (1.2) and Grib PI (4.1) extensively and I am quite impressed. I have not been able to workout how to use multiple polars for sail changes, motoring head to wind and sailing normally. I have prepared seperate polars for each but I cannot find how to load them so that different polars will be used for changing conditions. Can someone help wit step by step advice please?

You should be able to add multiple polars to the same boat. The fastest polar for the given conditions will typically be used.

[kevinvh]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

You should be able to add multiple polars to the same boat. The fastest polar for the given conditions will typically be used.

Not sure exactly what I am doing but I will go back and have another go.

On another matter, I installed OpenCPN Beta version-4-8-10129 with Weather_routing-Plugin_1.11.0. The Weather Routing - WeatherRouting Configuration.xml window does not hold its column formatting if OpenCPN is shutdown and subsequently reopened - see screenshot. You have to keep setting the column widths.

This did not happen with the last stable version of OpenCPN and WR PI 1.11.0

[seandepagnier]

It never remembered column widths. I don't know how you experienced it doing this.

The columns are autosized to fit the contents. Why do you need to resize them? I would rather fix the autosizing logic if it is a problem than saving the sizes required the user to manually set them.

[kevinvh]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

It never remembered column widths. I don't know how you experienced it doing this.

The columns are autosized to fit the contents. Why do you need to resize them? I would rather fix the autosizing logic if it is a problem than saving the sizes required the user to manually set them.

OK - autosize previously is probably right. The screenshot I sent you was before I ran the calculation, but after running the calculation, the column widths are still collapsed and not autosized to fit the content - see attached screenshot. It definitely worked previously, but I thought even then I had to manually size the columns first. Then after that the columns kept their format. Autosizing would be great if it worked.

This is OpenCPN running on a 2015 MacBook Pro with the latest High Sierra.

[mikedefieslife]

The first post in this threat states that an enhanced grib plugin is required for the weather routing to work at all.

Where do we get this from? The link to github shows a version for the Raspberry Pi, but not other systems as far as I could tell.

I have the Grib plugin that is built into OpenCPN. I installed the weatherouting plugin and enabled it, but the preferences button is greyed out.

[stelian]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

The first post in this threat states that an enhanced grib plugin is required for the weather routing to work at all.

Where do we get this from? The link to github shows a version for the Raspberry Pi, but not other systems as far as I could tell.

I have the Grib plugin that is built into OpenCPN. I installed the weatherouting plugin and enabled it, but the preferences button is greyed out.

That post is from 2013 ! You no longer need a special grib version, the standard one (the one bundled with OpenCPN) is ok.

Once enabled you have a new icon in the toolbar, start with that. And RTFM: https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/do...eather_routing

Good luck !

[mikedefieslife]

I have read it.

For Mac users there's no information on where the boat files should go. Normally, you'd expect a folder in application support, or following the Linux then in the user directory under .opencpn, there's nothing in those relating to opencpn, so next step would be to look in package contents.

I've added them to the equivalent directory that would be in the package contents in opencpn/plugins/weather_routing/boat
opencpn/plugins/weather_routing/polars

But it seems they aren't being picked up.

Maybe it's possible to select your own directories, but since the setting page doesn't open, I can't do that.

[stelian]

Originally Posted by mikedefieslife

I have read it.

For Mac users there's no information on where the boat files should go. Normally, you'd expect a folder in application support, or following the Linux then in the user directory under .opencpn, there's nothing in those relating to opencpn, so next step would be to look in package contents.

I've added them to the equivalent directory that would be in the package contents in opencpn/plugins/weather_routing/boat
opencpn/plugins/weather_routing/polars

But it seems they aren't being picked up.

Maybe it's possible to select your own directories, but since the setting page doesn't open, I can't do that.

Maybe /Users/ “user name” /Library/Preferences/opencpn/ and below ? (I don't use MacOS myself)

As for the "setting" page, do you have the main weather routing dialog opening up when clicking on the corresponding icon in the toolbar ?

If yes, if you double click on a "configuration" (a route), you'll have another dialog opening up, where you can choose the boat xml file by navigating to whatever directory you want. And once you choose the boat, you can navigate for polars...

These are items 6, 7 and 8 in the above linked manual.

[mikedefieslife]

Users/*username*/Library/Preferences/opencpn/

There is a directory there, but adding the necessary files/folders as downloaded according to the manual didn't seem to help. Odd that the directory never showed up in the search I did of my drive.

Yes, when I open the main dialogue, I get a table which is blank since it can't find the boat, polar files, or configuration files.

I can then click on the top menu View/settings, but nothing happens.

I can create a new position from my current GPS position, and I can click new configuration which will make a completely blank route, and that is about it.

Perhaps a macOS user will be along shortly to explain how theirs is set up.

EDIT: Looks like I have to manually edit the XML files and change the directory structure. They are all set up for windows.