Do I really NEED Iridium Go?

[SVCoddiwomple]

Hubby and I are experienced sailors, but new cruisers and have been refitting our Westsail 32 for the last 3 years in preparation for departure this November. Our first leg will be a gulf crossing (Texas to the Keys), and then we plan to spend at least a year bumping around the Caribbean before we make any new travel plans.

We are researching the "weather-getting" options and are now wondering how necessary it will be to have an on-board system for what we will be doing. We do have a Garmin In-Reach for basic weather, emergency communication, tracking, etc. My thinking is that the combination of the In-Reach and a knowledgable land-based weather buddy to provide updates would be sufficient for the gulf crossing, and after that, our passages will be short enough that receiving weather updates at sea will not be crucial. We will get our updates when we are coastwise and choose an appropriate weather window.

I'd love to hear from some of you who are cruising without a system like Starlink or Iridium Go.

TIA!

[boatman61]

No need whatsoever.. weather forecasts these days are good for at least 48hrs and few islands are longer than a 24hr hop apart, even if bypassing an island to reach another you should be in range to pick up weather on radio as you pass.

[sjrider]

We have been doing just that for the last year. Sailed down the west coast from San Francisco to LaPaz, Mexico. We had a land based friend keep track of us, he would let us know through the InReach a seven day forecast.

We would then check our own weather daily. He would then let us know if it changed dramatically. It worked well.

Now we are in the Sea of Cortez and our sails are mostly day hops.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by sjrider

We have been doing just that for the last year. Sailed down the west coast from San Francisco to LaPaz, Mexico. We had a land based friend keep track of us, he would let us know through the InReach a seven day forecast.



We would then check our own weather daily. He would then let us know if it changed dramatically. It worked well.



Now we are in the Sea of Cortez and our sails are mostly day hops.

Now that Zoleo brief issue has been happily solved...

With a "friend on shore", they can send text forecasts each up to 950 characters using app-to-app communications on Zoleo. MUCH more than InReach.

[wholybee]

Everything in your current plans is more coastal cruising than ocean crossings. Always close to land, close to cell phone range, and trips are only a couple days. You don't really need an Iridium Go! or more advanced weather until you cross an Ocean. It's nice to have, but not necessary.

[smac999]

I would get a starlink instead... untill you want to cross oceans.

[chubby]

Originally Posted by smac999

I would get a starlink instead... untill you want to cross oceans.

i'm as big of a starlink cheerleader as there is...but starlink wont be connecting to anything when there is a loss of power.





if you'll be going more that a 2-300 miles offshore...
i'd want keep an iridium go on board.. even i'd rarely (if ever) will use it.

..maybe charged up in a ditch bag with your EPIRB


it me is similar to insurance.. you don't really NEED it...until you do.

[azkenean]

There is no black and white answer but is is basically down to your cruising plan.
According to what you describe, with keeping ability to connect to descent network every 24/48h, Garmin InReach seems a sound option. IridiumGo is a must as soon as you stay over 2/3 days offshore. Now, keep in mind that IridiumGo is much more than a weather tool. Not only you will download weather forecasts and GRIB's, but you can send text messages, emails, and more importantly, place good quality phone calls.
If you choose InReach, you may consider a regular sat phone too. IridiumGo is all in.