Power Boat routing is a new weather routing and departure planning feature available through the PredictWind Forecast website https://forecast.predictwind.com/ for PredictWind subscribers with a Standard or Professional level of subscription.

To review your subscription and upgrade if required, please click here: https://forecast.predictwind.com/register/change/package

Please see below for a comparison table of the Power Routing and Planning features available based on your PredictWind subscription level:

Power Routing provides a recommended route between waypoints from your set start time for each available weather forecast model based on your boat's parameters and routing preferences.

The Power Boat Routing algorithm performs billions of calculations to find the most fuel-efficient or comfortable route for your boat to motor a given route. The algorithm takes into account the drag of the boat due to windage and also the drag due to the wave conditions; in addition, the routing uses the world's most comprehensive ocean current and tidal currents to find the optimal route.

To accurately calculate the windage and wave effects for your boat, the modelling uses the height of the boat, displacement, waterline length, beam and draught. These inputs are used by the aerodynamic and hydrodynamic modelling to calculate the wind windage and wave drag, specifically for your boat.

The most fuel-efficient route is the fastest and often the most comfortable route due to avoiding adverse wind and wave states and also using tidal and ocean currents to your advantage where possible.

The comfort algorithm allows you to set parameters to avoid, where possible, wind and wave conditions exceeding your specifications. This will usually require a longer route to avoid undesirable wind and wave states, so it will not have the same fuel efficiency.

Using advanced hydrodynamic modelling for your boat characteristics, along with the wind wave primary, secondary and tertiary swell forecast, it calculates the roll, vertical acceleration, and boat slamming your boat would expect along the passage. This safety and comfort data is displayed as the final three graphs available for the trip, so you can take preventive measures by altering your destination or changing your departure timing.

Using PredictWind’s extreme weather warnings alerts, you will be alerted via the map to key events such as lightning, thunderstorms, fog, wind against current, and rain squalls. View the GMDSS weather warnings on the maps, which are marine safety weather warnings from the relevant national weather centres, along the length of your route.

Use the Departure Planning - Power Planning tool to find the best weather window to depart. The departure planning tool performs a weather route on 4 consecutive separate days (or departure times) to provide a simple and easily read summary and comparison of those departure dates. Use this to avoid departing on the wrong day or being caught out in bad weather during the first 5 days of your trip.

The router will find the most fuel-efficient route based on your vessel's characteristics, the wind, wave and currents at any departure time. By selecting the best day/time to depart, you can make significant fuel savings in addition to finding the shortest and most comfortable trip.

Please review the articles below for more information available in Powerboat Routing Help about how to set up and use Powerboat Routing: