Weather routing in a sailboat

Introduction.

In the chapter: Analysis of the weather on a sailing boat. Generalities , we consider the study of the weather of an ocean crossing by sail, in two phases: the long-term analysis (months or weeks before the beginning of the crossing) and the short-term analysis, (the days before the beginning of the navigation and during it).

The short-term analysis is based on the current situation and the expected evolution of the weather for the next few days. In this phase, one of the tools that we have on a sailboat is the routing based on the weather (weather routing), which can help me make decisions regarding the route to follow in an ocean voyage.

There are several software programs that automatically perform the weather routing calculations, taking into account the forecast of wind, sea, or even currents, for the next few days, and, based on the behavior (theoretical speed) of my sailboat at different courses and wind intensities (the Polar), provide me with an optimal route. Although each software has details and different adjustments that need to be made to perform the calculations correctly, in general they follow a similar basic procedure.

In this new chapter of the online book “Meteorology and Oceanography for Ocean Navigators” we will see the following aspects of weather routing:

– What do I need to perform weather routing calculations?

– Basic weather routing procedure (step by step).

– Weather routing tools and practical example with descriptive video (OpenCPN)

– Final considerations.