Offshore Weather Routing 101: The Skills That Save Lives

🔴 LAST CHANCE – Signed Books Disappear July 24. Get the Collector’s Edition of Be The Captain™ before it’s gone → https://bethecaptain.com In this video, I break down modern offshore weather routing — how it works, why waves are the real danger offshore, and how new tech lets us sail smarter and safer than ever before. We’ll cover: • How weather models like GFS, ECMWF, SPIR, and PredictWind actually work • How to plan safe passages using modern routing tools • Why secondary and tertiary swell matter more than you think • My secret weapons for better offshore decision-making LINK FROM VIDEO: Preorder my book "Be the Captain": https://bethecaptain.com Learn About Weather: https://www.coursera.org/learn/meteorology Atlas of Pilot Charts: https://msi.nga.mil/Publications/APC Predict Wind: https://www.predictwind.com/ (Weather Courses) Backyard Meteorology: https://www.harvardonline.harvard.edu/course/backyard-meteorology-science-weather AstroNavigation: https://my.vanderbilt.edu/astronav/overview/coordinates/ (Videos) Unlocking the power of multi-objective algorithms for voyage optimization and vessel performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v461kfkmZ0E&t=10s Introduction (Frank Bohlen, CCA) Marine Weather Fundamentals (Ken McKinley, Locus Weather) The 500 mb Surface: Significance and Analysis (Lee Chesneau, Chesneau Marine Weather) Ocean Currents, Waves, and Sea State (Frank Bohlen, University of Connecticut Marine Sciences) Ocean Forecasting: The Process and the Products (Joseph Sienkiewicz, NOAA NWS Ocean Prediction Center) Communications for Weather (Jim Corenman, SailMail Association) The Navigator’s Weather Watch (Ralph Naranjo, Annapolis School of Seamanship) Questions from the floor – Roundtable Discussion (all presenters) 1320 Weather Windows and Weather Routing Campbell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1Q0tQyl4nc&t=7s Weather Routers: starweatherrouting@gmail.com https://metbob.com/ Stories to read: https://wingssail.blogspot.com/1998/11/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_El_Faro Support Sailing Zingaro: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/svzingaro T-shirts: https://www.bonfire.com/store/zingaro/ Chapters: 00:00 - Waves Kill, Not Wind 00:39 - The Real Danger Offshore 01:49 - Why Secondary Swell Matters 02:39 - Modern Weather Routing Changed Everything 03:40 - How Weather Models Work 05:15 - The Big Players: GFS, ECMWF, SPIRE 10:01 - PredictWind’s Proprietary Models PWE, PWG 10:31 - Why I Use PredictWind 11:17 - How to Plan an Offshore Route 15:00 - Why Wave State is More Important Than Wind 17:15 - Departure Planning Like a Pro 20:31 - Final Departure Advice 21:01 - Learn to Be Your Own Weather Router 21:27 - Secret Tools You Should Be Using 23:30 - Climate Data & Modern Pilot Charts 25:00 - PredictWind Data Hub: Next-Level Routing 26:11 - Be the Captain: Book Preorder Announcement 28:03 - What's Next