In this webinar, Craig Smith, PredictWind’s weather routing specialist, shares his notes on how he prepares for power boating passages. Whether cruising or preparing for your next trip, this session will boost your confidence with practical tools and expert guidance.
Craig explains his step-by-step approach to checking the 10-day weather outlook, departure planning, switching to Power Routing, and using the Offshore App for real-time updates.
This webinar includes:
The difference between the PredictWind App, Offshore App and PredictWind website.
Using long and short-range forecasts to plan ahead.
Calculate, review and interpret departure planning and weather routing results (polars, summary tables, safety metrics like boat roll, slamming, and vertical acceleration).
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between the PredictWind App/ Website and the Offshore App?
There are multiple ways you can use PredictWind: All three platforms provide departure planning and our weather routing tool.
The PredictWind Website https://forecast.predictwind.com/ is used on your PC/ Mac using a web browser like Chrome or Safari. You need high speed internet services (land based or Starlink) to use this. This is our primary platform for subscription management, billing, and setting boat polars.
The PredictWind App is installed on your mobile device and is an online tool. It requires a 4G/5G cellular connection or high speed internet services (land based or Starlink)
You can use the PredictWind Offshore App on PC, Mac, Apple or Android devices. It is an offline tool for downloading compressed GRIB file weather data and weather routing via an internet or cellular connection, at sea via satellite, like the Iridium GO! or GO exec. It stores files locally on the device to review offline.
2. How do I set up routing preferences for Power Routing ?
For detailed instructions on setting up preferences, see the help article: Power Routing Overview, Set Up and Use
3. How do I set up and interpret wave data?
With PredictWind Power Routing, you can view the Roll, Vertical accelerations and Slamming Incidence that your boat will experience through the route. The router outputs these data points at each route point. For detailed instructions:
4. Why do I need to use the PredictWind Power Boat weather routing and departure planning tools?
Because fuel, comfort, and safety matter. PredictWind’s Power Boat Routing is designed to help you avoid rough conditions and pick the smoothest, most fuel-efficient route for your trip. Unlike standard forecast maps, our routing tool takes your boat’s speed, fuel range, and sea state limits into account, so you get a personalised route that’s actually realistic for your boat.
The Departure Planning tool lets you compare different departure times over a 4-day window, so you can pick the best weather window instead of guessing. This helps you avoid pounding into head seas or getting caught in uncomfortable or unsafe conditions.
Whether you're doing a long coastal trip or an offshore crossing, these tools are all about helping you make smart decisions, save fuel, and have a more enjoyable passage.
5. Can I get more information on the features of GMDSS/ Extreme Weather Warnings?
You can visually view the GMDSS text forecast on any weather map.
The text forecasts are analysed in the PredictWind cloud, and then each weather system, front and warning region is plotted accurately on the map, giving you a world-first, global view of the GMDSS forecast.
For detailed instructions on GMDSS and Extreme weather warnings, see the help article: AI-Generated GMDSS Maps.
6. What is CAPE, and how can I predict severe weather?
CAPE stands for Convective Available Potential Energy and is the amount of fuel available to a developing thunderstorm. More specifically, it describes the atmosphere's instability and approximates updraft strength within a thunderstorm. So, CAPE is used by weather officials to understand what the potential might be for thunderstorms and how powerful those storms might become if they do materialize.
The standard measurement of energy is represented as Joules Per Kilogram. Weather experts might also express A high CAPE value using the term “high instability”. When we talk about a highly unstable atmosphere, CAPE values are usually more than 2500 J/kg, which would supply ample energy for strong updrafts and violent thunderstorms, should they develop.
Learn more about extreme weather warnings and other indicators for predicting potentially dangerous conditions by viewing this article: Extreme Weather Warnings.
7. Why should I get a Professional Subscription to PredictWind?
The Professional package gives you access to the best data that PredictWind has to offer. The Professional level allows access to the following:
Wave modelling of your boat (including Roll, Vertical accelerations and Slamming Incidence). Please learn more with this 1-minute video.
Ocean current GRIBs/Maps (Mercator and RTOFS)
High-resolution tidal currents
High-resolution forecast GRIB files (1km and 8km PWG/PWE, 9km ECMWF, 27km GFS, 14km, 10km UKMO)
Sea Surface Temperature (SST).
AIS data in the Offshore App, accessible via satellite when offshore. Please learn more with this 1-minute video.
Any weather route or departure plan calculation using either the Standard or Professional subscriptions will consider your choice of ocean current data and wave polars when calculating a route. However, only the Professional subscription will show you these details when viewing the results in the tables and along the routes.