SAILING THE WORLD

‘I consider sat comm connection as safety equipment second only to a life-raft, and a very close second at that’

Passages and their planning consist of the three Ds: departure, duration and destination, but they must include the factors mentioned under voyage planning: understanding currents, and a long-term overview of wind trends. It’s important to bear in mind the general wind trend if the passage is five days or over, because though the specific forecast may deviate from the prevailing, or expected pattern, there will be a high probability it will revert to the norm at some point during the passage...

PART TWO Passage planning

Weather

Wind pilots provide a pattern of wind direction, but they are a historic record of wind direction and strength. They are by no means a forecast.

In recent years I have noticed much greater variations from the wind pilot’s historic data, as global warming affects the world’s climate, a factor that therefore needs to be borne in