Trip Planning

Is there anywhere that can tell me what the weather conditions are at different places and times of year? Also large area charts. I would like to do some trip planning.
Thanks.

[GordMay]

Not exactly what you seem to be asking for, but check out the Pilot Charts:

PILOT CHARTS, which are oceanic charts overlaid with the accumulated empirical weather data (wind and current), and are often used for passage planning, are available online (free).

ATLAS of PILOT CHARTS from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA):
http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/pubs/pubs_j_apc_list.html

North Atlantic Ocean: http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/pubs/pubs...html?rid=10499

South Atlantic Ocean:
http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/pubs/pubs...s.html?rid=285

North Pacific Ocean:
http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/pubs/pubs...s.html?rid=288

South Pacific Ocean:
http://pollux.nss.nima.mil/pubs/pubs....html?rid=1146

BTW:
Charts covering Large Areas are SMALL SCALE Charts (details look small)
Charts covering Small Areas are LARGE SCALE Charts (details look large)

HTH,
Gord

[AnchorageGuy]

There is a program called Visual Passage Planner that I believe is exactly what you are looking for. It will give you wind, wave, current info and print out reports of the trip based on your boat profile. The info is compiled according to the Pilot Charts for any give month anywhere in the world.

[AnchorageGuy]

Found their web address

http://www.digwave.com/

[RPC]

You can find the following information on the cruisers website www.Onpassage.com, I have put direct links to the pages you may be most interested in below:

Online Pilot charts / downloadable :
http://www.onpassage.com/Navigation_...lot_Charts.htm

Tropical storm seasons worldwide :http://www.onpassage.com/Tropical_St...m_warnings.htm


Weather forecasts worldwide : http://www.onpassage.com/Weather_Map...ster_Index.htm

[windsongabc]

Does anyone have advice on departing at this time. Or have a suggestion. Tried leaving from Panama first part of Dec. 08 & Got turned back and presently in Costa Rica. Thanks

[Hud3]

According to NOAA's Hurricane Research Division,

"The Northeast Pacific basin has a broader peak [than the north Atlantic] with activity beginning in late May or early June and going until late October or early November with a peak in storminess in late August/early September. NHC's official dates for this basin are from May 15th to November 30th."

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by windsongabc

Does anyone have advice on departing at this time. Or have a suggestion. Tried leaving from Panama first part of Dec. 08 & Got turned back and presently in Costa Rica. Thanks

I would be very cautious about heading across the Pacific from Costa Rica to Hawaii at this time, windsong. In 2005, Hurricane Andrian occurred around May 20. In 2007, Hurricane Barbara occurred around June 2. You do not want to be caught out if another early hurricane occurs this year.

Of course, staying in Costa Rica may not be possible for you. If staying any longer in Costa Rica isn't an option, I think you would be well advised to move south toward Panama, rather than north. If you can wait until after October, at least, or November, even better, the season will have tapered off.

Here's a link to the National Hurricane Center's website giving past hurricane tracks: NHC Archive of Hurricane Seasons Scroll down to Past Tracks of Tropical Cyclones and click on the button marked 2008 (East Pacific Basin). There you will be able to see the hurricane tracks of every hurricane in the eastern pacific basin since 1949.

TaoJones