Meteorology Courses

[Victoria]

I'm going to be cruising for an extended length of time and am interested in taking a marine meteorology course. Any suggestions on good courses for cruisers?
Thanks.

[GordMay]

Well, you could start with the Nov./Dec. (Issue 45) of “Good Old Boat” magazine which has a piece on “Weather Basics” (Going cruising? Here’s how to read the weather maps). The article covers reading & interpreting weather maps.

Weather Seminars:

Seven Seas Cruising Association “Gam” in Melbourne, FL. - Nov. 11-13
$250 per person for SSCA members, $275 for non-members.
www.ssca.org call SSCA Home Base at (954) 771-5660
or e-mail office@ssca.org

North U. Weather for Sailors Seminar: 1st Person $190.00 & Add'l Crew $140.00
http://www.northu.com/seminars.taf?_...page_name=info
http://www.northu.com/seminars.taf?_..._name=schedule

Your local "Power & Sail Squadron"


On-Line Weather Instruction Links:

NOAA’s “Jetstream” On-Line Weather School:
http://www.srh.weather.gov/srh/jetstream/

Weather Instructional Material from NASA’s Learning Technologies Project
http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/
specifically “PREDICTING THE WEATHER” http://vathena.arc.nasa.gov/curric/w...thr/index.html

HTH,
Gord May

[Sunspot Baby]

Boatsafe.com has a good on line weather tutorial at www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/weather1.htm

National Weather Service has on line info on reading radiofax weather charts at http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/UGbegin.shtml

Sunspot Baby

[Talbot]

The following is also well worth a visit:
http://www.franksingleton.clara.net/...ial_sites.html

[GordMay]

Thanks to Sunspot Baby & Talbot for the great links.
It’s reletively easy to learn to read weather maps etc., and totally unnecessary to become a meteorologist* - so Talbot’s links to sources of weather information is particularly useful.
* We don’t have the access to the vast amounts of raw data and computer programs required to generate our own forecasts. We merely need to understand and interpret the data presented by the professionals.
Gord

[Richhh]

Probably the BEST text written for self prediction of weather is "Mariners Weather Handbook" by the Dashews, its quite expensive. It contains detailed explanations of isobaric chart (Weather FAx - WeFAX) interpretation including surface charts and the more important 500 millibar charts. This is a 'detailed' text and requires some modicum of 'technicalese' on your part. Using such a 'book' you will most probably be able to make your own on-the-spot forecasts with reasonable accuracy ... especially when you go to those less-travelled areas of the world where good forecasting is minimal.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096...83155&v=glance

[Alan Wheeler]

And of course all Sailors should have the Old Sailors Weather Station. It's a square piece of White sail cloth with a line in each corner to tie it to the rigging. 4"x4" is OK, but the 6"x6" works better. To find out what the weather is doing, you take a look. If the cloth is dry, it ain't raining. If it is damp, it means it is drizzling. If it is wet, then it is raining. If it is just hanging, then there is no wind and if it is flapping, then there is wind. If you have to wear sunglasses when you look at it, then it is sunny. If you can look at it with just the eyes, it is cloudy. And the bonus is, if you can't see it at all, it's dark, errrr, or the wind was too strong.