Weather Routing
Weather routing has gotten complicated with all the GRIB files, forecasting models, and routing software flying around. As someone who has spent countless hours staring at weather charts and adjusting courses to dodge everything from squall lines to full gales, I learned everything there is to know about using weather to your advantage on a passage. Today, I will share it all with you.
The biggest lesson I’ve picked up over the years is this: weather routing isn’t about finding perfect conditions. Perfect conditions basically don’t exist on longer passages. It’s about avoiding the genuinely dangerous stuff and finding windows that are good enough to make safe, comfortable progress. That distinction matters more than most people realize.
What Smart Weather Routing Actually Looks Like
Prepare your vessel for the worst the forecast shows — then add a margin. Develop your ability to read weather patterns, not just follow apps blindly. Plan conservatively, because a day spent waiting in port beats three days getting hammered at sea. That’s what makes weather routing endearing to us passagemakers — it turns raw data into decisions that keep you and your crew safe. Probably should have led with this section, honestly: understanding weather is the single most important skill in offshore cruising.
