Weather Router

[Artful Dodger]

Was wondering if anyone could give me weather router contacts for the North Atlantic to Europe besides Herb.

[maxingout]

If you have ham radio, the catalogue function on Win Link 2000 has good weather information for just about anywhere you would want to sail. We pulled our weather down from them, and were extremely happy with the amount of information available. When we couple that with the weather from the cruising nets, we always feel that there is plenty of good information to make rational decision regarding plans and contingency plans on an offshore sail.

[Artful Dodger]

We have SSB with pactor 3 license, and right now are docked at VE1YZ dock here in St Margaret's Bay Nova Scotia. We have learned a lot and know more of the things we can get from the Winlink system, but being our first crossing would like to have some one with a lot more experience to guid us on our first trip, we are aware of Herb and talked with him by email, but would still like another source, my understanding there is some one in the Carribbean, just trying to be more cautious on this first trip. We have just sailed from St John's Newfoundland and that was a real experience.

[Pete7]

How about someone UK side? I think Simon will prepare personal forecasts for you. I don't know what his forecasting is like for the N Atlantic, but his UK Forecast is fare more accurate than the Met Office.

Weatherweb.TV

Pete

[AnchorageGuy]

We used Herb exclusively for over a decade and were very happy with his service. Chris Parker covers the Caribbean, not sure about as far north as you will be. You really need someone that understands the weather patterns for the north Atlantic. Chris Parker is a pay service.

[emircedes]

i tend to use a fair bit a site- passageweather.com - when doing a delivery to France or so...
You just select your area and you get all the details you need: Wind , Surface Pressure, Visibility, Cloud Cover and Precipitation, Wave Height and more. Its quite accurate, FREE and you can download the forecast aswell,

[speciald@ocens.]

Use MaxSea, recieve gribs by sat phone or SSB.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by emircedes

i tend to use a fair bit a site- passageweather.com - when doing a delivery to France or so...
You just select your area and you get all the details you need: Wind , Surface Pressure, Visibility, Cloud Cover and Precipitation, Wave Height and more. Its quite accurate, FREE and you can download the forecast aswell,

Like that, nice pictures to see what is happening now saved to my favourites.

Pete

[swagman]

We too use passage weather which we've found to be easier than pactor / ssb receipted grib files. The other good one when in the Med is the http://poseidon.hcmr.gr/weather_fore...hp?area_id=eur.

If you want to virtually guarantee your ideal conditions for an Ocean crossing you might want to consider a professional one-on-one service.

We used one in the 2007 ARC and told them our ideal weather needs, ie 20 knots at 160 degrees to our heading. Fir us it worked. The router updated us each 48 hours by email on exactly where we should be going and the end result was a long zig zag course which meant we covered quite a few added miles than most others. But we did cross in 16 days and 30 minutes and missed all the bad weather.

Shorthanded it suited us.

Cheers
JOHN

[conachair]

Can't help with weather router but if using weatherfax you will probably start using hamburg and northwood as you get further across. If you want to get used to the layout then hamburg is online here..
Wetter und Klima - Deutscher Wetterdienst -- Seewetter

and northwood uses the same charts as uk met office here..
Met Office: Surface pressure forecast

Schedules can are here.. www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/rfax.pdf
I use jvcomm with ssb reciever into laptop mic input, works well.
I just came up to Azores from Antigua solo, had sat phone for occasional gribs and weatherfax via ssb receiver. Think if I had to choose between gribs and weatherfax I´d go for the fax, I find it gives a better "big picture" of what´s going on, gribs I would only download a small area which was usually quite accurate but didn´t give much of a feel of what was coming up.
As for router, I´ve never used one so can´t really comment.
Have a good passage.

[Hud3]

You might want to look into Commanders Weather.

[emircedes]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Like that, nice pictures to see what is happening now saved to my favourites.

Pete

glad you like. its very accurate as well

[ka4wja]

Artful Dodger,
I understand your question.....and I'll answer it first, and then give you some experienced advice....

1) Hud's answer is what you're looking for.....Commander's Weather...
Commanders' Weather

I've never used them, nor any weather routing service (except for Herb, of course), but I do hear good things about them.....


2) These statements here are very telling....I may be wrong, but.....

Originally Posted by Artful Dodger

We have SSB with pactor 3 license...
....We have learned a lot and know more of the things we can get from the Winlink system,

I do hope that you understand the "Gold Standard" in offshore marine weather (US NWS/NOAA Ocean Prediction Center forecasters) is broadcast for FREE, and no PACTOR modem (nor Winlink / Sailmail account) is required to receive it????

Yes, you can get these WeFax charts using your PACTOR modem, via saildocs as well, but they are broadcast by USCG's 4000 watt transmitters in Boston, New Orleans, etc. and no PACTOR modem is required at all.....

(The UK's Met Office also broadcasts WeFax charts, from Norwood, England.....which will cover the far North Atlantic, Eastern Atlantic, Northe Sea, the Med, etc....)

The reason I mention this is because many of the sources cruisers / voyagers access for weather info / forecasts (such as GRIB's and "passage weather", etc.) are computer-model generated, NOT human forecaster generated......
And, since you seemed to be asking for a "human being" weather router, I thought I should point out that using the NWS/NOAA WeFax charts, is the BEST human weather forecasting you're ever going to find!!!!
(Although, Herb still has a nack for making very accurate small-scale forecasts that are a real joy to listen to and use....)

So, if you combine NWS/NOAA WeFax charts, NWS/NOAA Offshore and Hi-Seas Voice weather forecasts, (and the UK's WeFax charts if needed) and Herb's uncanny small-scale forecasts, you've got a LOT of human weather interputation and forecasting, right there, for FREE!!!!

Originally Posted by Artful Dodger

but being our first crossing would like to have some one with a lot more experience to guid us on our first trip, we are aware of Herb and talked with him by email, but would still like another source.

3) I believe the US NWS/NOAA Ocean Prediction Center (and Tropical Prediction Center), and the UK Met Office, and Herb....all combine to provide you with the best offshore marine weather data/forecast possible in the entire world....
If you want "more", there really isn't "more".....there is just "different"....
And, that "different" is what others have mentioned.....the best "different" for your voyage is going to be Commader's Weather, as Hud mentioned....

Originally Posted by Artful Dodger

my understanding there is some one in the Carribbean, just trying to be more cautious on this first trip.

4) Chris Parker's Caribbean Weather, a $250/yr annual service is for the Caribbean, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico, etc. (and some US East coast passage weather).....
CARIBWX The Caribbean Weather Site

Originally Posted by Artful Dodger

We have just sailed from St John's Newfoundland and that was a real experience.

5) I've seen the Lows passing off the continent....and read the offshore forecasts of late.....(and listened to some folks still out there)....and I understand the weather that you've had....{and some people still think Hurricanes are all you need to worry about in the summertime Atlantic }

The GOOD news is after these current fronts move (???) and the lows move off fast and dissapate (soon???), there's likely to be fairly good weather the rest of the month / summer, for a decent passage across, along a northerly route.....


6) Have a look at two recent threads here, and you'll get some more info....
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ium-43509.html
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...y-43466-2.html


Good luck and Fair winds!!!

John
s/v Annie Laurie

[capt_douglas]

It's hard to beat Herb's prices but you can try:

Commanders Weather
Weather Routing International

Both cover the world but will cost you about $50/day for the weather routing. They're the pro's and have a good rep with the big white boats.

[fishwife]

Originally Posted by Artful Dodger

Was wondering if anyone could give me weather router contacts for the North Atlantic to Europe besides Herb.

Bob Jones does a very good job and is quite reasonable in his charges.

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