Current winds

[RetiredSailor]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but this is a great site for current winds and near term wind forecasts at various coastal and inland points. Meant for windsurfers, but great for sailing as well. Click on Wind Reports, then on the map region. A lot of the wind measurement points are free, and if you subscribe you get them all.

iWindsurf.com - Home

[MarkJ]

And for Aussies a similar one from kitesurfers that you can change the wind colours too (note the correct spelling of 'colour' )

Weather Forecast for Kiteboarding, Windsurfing, Sailing, Boating, Surfing, Stand Up Paddle, Fishing, and more!

[Hud3]

There are a number of sites like this that use global model data to produce graphic forecasts. The one I use every day is Windfinder. Windguru is another one many people like. And PassageWeather uses the same basic GRIB data to produce animated forecasts in a really useful format.

All very good stuff! The resources available on the Internet are incredibly good and getting better!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Hud3

There are a number of sites like this that use global model data to produce graphic forecasts.

Yes, its just finding the one that works well with our own personal eye.
I liked Grib-us but don't use it at all now. The one linked in my previous post is only going to be good in this costal cruise.

Keep searching till you find a beauty


Mark

[RetiredSailor]

Originally Posted by Hud3

There are a number of sites like this that use global model data to produce graphic forecasts. The one I use every day is Windfinder. Windguru is another one many people like. And PassageWeather uses the same basic GRIB data to produce animated forecasts in a really useful format.

All very good stuff! The resources available on the Internet are incredibly good and getting better!

Thanks, those are all great wind links.

One thing I like about iWindsurf is that it gives the actual winds graphically, updated every 20 minutes or so, with average and gusts. The sites you posted are probably better for passage making, and they have good offshore coverage, but their wind data is smoothed out, maybe they just take a running average of wind speeds.

Doesn't matter a whole lot on a long passages but for short sails around weather windows (much of what I do on the Potomac and Chesapeake), it's good to know about those gusts before you head out. More than once I've watched the stations reporting gusts 10-20 knots higher than the average, and have watched those gusts move up or down the Bay or the river from station to station as a front moves through.

These are all valuable tools and, like boats, you have to know which one is best for the type of sailing one wants to do.

MarkJ, I really like the layout of your site, which also includes the tides. And all the colors :-) That Hobart site sure has nutty winds.

[Hud3]

Good point, RS. The global models don't do a good job predicting the very local stuff, like gusting winds.

I like to look at multiple websites when the weather is "of interest". The more info, the better. And the longer you have been able to look at a site, the better you're able to judge its value to your situation. I've learned an awful lot by just observing what the weather sites say vs. local conditions.