Cape to Rio Race 2014

How exactly does one check the weather for a multi-week passage?

 

If you don't know by now then you shouldn't be going sailing as navigator, 1st mate or captain.

Respectfully susgest you crew on a vessel that does for a period.

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~philclarke/Weather.htm

OC

 

I think you'll find bpw sails more than most - check his other posts

Richard Woods

 

Tell him the truth, the fast boats use Ouija boards and offer libations to Aeolus.

 

Accordingly, to Richard Woods answer , I advise you cannot check the weather. The weather is uncheckable and recent weather is caused by global warming. Man kind plus woman kind is not prepared to reduce fosil use or other global warming gase emmissions at the presentand current time.



OC

 

https://vimeo.com/83656520


Not multihull related but interesting. The crew of Black Cat talk about their ill fated race.

 

I am well aware of the various weather forcast sites, and run weather fax on our boat. The problem is that no matter how sophisticated the technology you will never get reliable forcasts beyond 4 days to a week. So unless you have a very fast boat you are rolling the dice every time you head offshore for more than a couple days. Even with weather fax, in the Chilean channels we would frequently have 50 knot wind systems pass over us that did not show on the fax until they had crossed land. Meteorology is a much less precise game in the southern high latitudes than in the north since there are so few stations reporting data.

Best to accept this and make sure the boat is sorted since the reality of small boats is all a forcast does is let you know you are about to get hammered, not much you can do about it when you are a few weeks from a harbor.

 

The two biggest weather forecasters in the world are I believe NOAA and the British Met Office (they have one of the worlds biggest supercomputers and are installing a new one which will be 16 times more powerful)

I was talking to one of the top Met office forecasters a couple of weeks ago. He said their emphasis with the new computer will be to increase the number of forecast points rather than extend the forecasting range. Makes sense since most people are on land, not at sea.

He also reiterated that it is a forecast, not a fact, and the best they will ever do is increase the probability of the forecast being correct

If you are interested in weather you might find this blog interesting. Note his comments about snakeoil salesmen in the Dec31 post

http://cliffmass.blogspot.com/

Richard Woods

 

Thanks Richard, I like the blog.

Was interesting to read they can actually get useful predictions up to 7-9 days out now. Though I imagine that is in areas with lots of very good data.

I think many of us modern sailors put a bit too much thought and energy into wx when we are offshore, unless you can make 200-300 miles a day reliably knowing what is coming is not that much of a help. Can make passages a bit faster but won't keep you from getting hit at some point. I think in many areas grib files are deceptively detailed, lots of precision but not always lots of accuracy.

 

They knew what was Comming. Eased on the button in the rough stuff and won. record.

Maserati These guys did it.



They knew what was Comming. Eased on the button in the rough stuff, a ferocious storm which sorely tested the fleet on the first night, lashing it with winds of up to 60 knots and won. New record set as well. 10 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 57 seconds.

Slashed more than two days off the previous record held by American 72’ Zephyrus IV (12 days, 16 hours, 49 minutes).

Used the weather maps with knowledge sailed around the slow stuff - an extra 600 nms, saved damaging their boat an beat every home including the multihulls,taking both line and handicap honours in the process.

Intellegent sailing and set a new record as well.

http://www.sailracingmagazine.com/e...is-maserati-crew-set-new-cape2rio-race-record

OC

 

Like I said, if you are fast enough to dodge weather systems you can really take advantage of weathe systems, but most of us are not sailing fully crewed race boats capable of over 200 miles a day.