Weather

As other projects around the boat are being finished, we are turning our attention to weather forecasting and testing our methods of receiving weather information while under way.  We take for granted our connections while on land - especially the Internet.  Once we are underway, all of those weather sites which are so useful for planning will no longer be available.

Here's what we want to avoid:

So, we'll be using some tools to not go out in weather like this.

My favorite Internet sites for weather forecasting and planning our departure from Curacao:

http://passageweather.com/  This is a graphic map of wind, wave, and barometic pressure, out to a seven-day forecast.  It will be our primary tool to plan the best day to leave Curacao on the first long leg to Jamaica or the Caymans, five to seven days at sea.

windguru.com  This is a handy 10-day table of weather - wind strength and direction, wave and swell, temperature, precipitation, in four-hour predictions

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/offshores.php  NOAA weather, in text and by sector on the Caribbean map, for the next five days

http://www.buoyweather.com/  Weather for any point on a map.  You can get a two day forecast for free, a seven day forecast for fee membership.

Marine SSB Radio

Once we are underway, our marine long-range radio will be our best friend for planning the day's sail.  We can receive broadcasts from a weather service in Florida, Chris Parker's radio broadcast.  For a fee, he will forecast weather for sponsoring vessels and help prepare them for what is to come.  Every morning he has a broadcast of weather forecast for the Caribbean, and then takes calls to provide a personal forecast for our position.  During the day, the US Coast Guard broadcasts weather information four times a day, where we can tune in to listen for more information.  The radio, an ICOM M710, is a wonder of sturdiness and reliability.  We've had it for fifteen years now, and works better than ever, thanks to a new receive antenna we installed two years ago.  It is not easy to use; I always have to go back to the manual and fiddle with it for hours to remember how it works.  But, perseverance pays off, and I was able to tune in the weather forecast from Florida this morning, and the afternoon forecast from the Coast Guard.