Marine Weather Forecasts by Email

Forecasts Using FTP

This is a useful service for those who do not want to use web page links to forecasts - for example when using mobile or satellite phones or INMARSAT-C. In fact, anyone with limited bandwidth

Text messages of forecasts that are broadcast on VHF and other channels as part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System can be obtained over the Internet using the links on the GMDSS or other pages of this site. This is fine if you have Internet access. However, at sea, with HF/SSB radio, INMARSAT-C or Mini-C, for example, it may be feasible only to send and receive emails. Even within mobile phone range access to websites can be slow.

In such cases, the NWS (Washington) FTP Mail Service could well be useful. For full details go to the FTP link page on Martin Stubbs' site.Briefly, you simply send a message in a strict format, copied from Martin's page. Within minutes the reply comes back as an email. This is a free service and the only costs will be for the email links. Charts can also be obtained in the same manner. These come in TIFF format; files are likely to be some 70 kB and to receive them might be expensive, but useful on occasions when other communications have failed.

Saildocs Texts of Web pages

One alternative to using the Washington FTP service is that provided by Saildocs. Send an email to query@saildocs.com . Subject - anything. The message should read send http://www.whatever. Simply copy the address of a web page containing the forecast that you want. These can be taken from my GMDSS pages by right clicking on a named link from the frame and copying the address. For example, in the European page, right click on Inshore Waters Forecast under METAREA I and see the link http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/inshore_printable.html l. The message to Saildocs would read send http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/inshore_printable.html.

Within a minute or so the reply email will contain the all the text of the web page stripped of all the extraneous information. Met Office pages are commendably small downloads, but even here the size is reduced by over 50%.

If you want a daily service, then send the message sub http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/inshore_printable.html days=N to get the forecast once a day for N days. Put N=0 and the service will continue until you send a cancellation message.

This is a useful service where you want a text forecast on a regular basis but are using a mobile phone and wish to minimise telephone call times or download size.

Another free service is provided by MailASail by way of advertising their compressed email service. Essentially this is a document retrieval service for specific forecasts and charts. It is easier to use than the previous two services, but not quite as flexible in that only preselected forecasts are available although, no doubt, the list will increase.

Simply save the MailASail page. Selecting a forecast listed, automatically generates an email. Send this and the reply will come back within a minute or so. Like all such services, response time will vary as net activity varies. The reply comes back as an attachment to an email advertising the MailASail email account.

Charts of isobars, surface winds, sea state, sea or air temperature, cloud, humidity and, no doubt, other meteorological variables can be obtained in a coded form known as GRIB. See the GRIB page of this site for details of the system. In brief, it is a highly efficient way of transferring a large amount of data. As a consequence, an email attachment can provide several days of forecasts over a large area at low cost.

Another page of this site summarises some of the services that sailors can use at economic rates or, sometimes, free of cost except for

communications costs. Because the file sizes are small, these should also be small. All in all, this is an ideal way of getting useful weather forecast information over a mobile or satellite phone. The idea of using GRIB files has been developed by sailors for sailors using HAM or marine HF radio.

Some very basic notes on HF and HAM radio are at my page Internet and Email Connections. For descriptions of GRIB and details of how to access these services go to my GRIB page.

Weather Routing

Services have been available for many years to commercial vessels to help avoid bad weather or to make fast crossings, the two are not necessarily the same for a large tanker. Some firms offer services to yachtsmen. One such is run by my old colleague Captain Gordon Mackie, formerly Marine Superintendent of the Met Office. Gordon and I first met in the late 60s

when he was pioneering weather routing by the UK Met Office. Gordon can be contacted by clicking here. His website is Metworks.

Another service, principally for yachts is from the UK based weather consultancy WCSMarine.