east coast winds

[chuckg5]

planning to sail from florida to new england next month in a 42' Vagabond ketch. maybe sailing offshore just 10 miles to have access to the next port
as a precauion. i'm watching PredictWind and weatherpassage websites for
the trend in winds. and also being able to listen to NOAA on VHF.
does anyone else have other websites without fees that can determine
winds for the next couple of days?
Many thanks
chuck

[cheoah]

Sounds like you have access to forecasts with existing sites.

Consider the amount of time you will save hucking it out into the Gulf Stream. You can be in NC in a couple of days. 60 hours from say ft pierce - cape fear sticks in my mind. With a good forecast you will save a lot of time out there and it's a great experience. Feels like you're on a powerboat at times. Even if you lie ahull you'll do three knots or more. It is a short enough period that a good forecast can give you confidence. Always reassess for hatteras though.

Safe travels. I use a grib app for iOS, paid big bucks though some years ago. How will you get forecasts offshore? At ten miles vhf no prob, axis of the stream, good to have a longer range option.

[chuckg5]

Ceoaah
thanks for the reply. i have a recieving SSB radio with weather frequencies
but i don't find it reliable offshore. poor reception , bad weather also makes it difficult to even hear the thing! staying offshore 10 miles really isn't enough to get gulf stream push, might even fight some oppossing currents. the gps will vouch for that with SOG.