Best Baltic Sea Weather Data

[Dockhead]

Looking for opinions about best sources for Baltic Sea weather.


I normally use GFS model GRIBs and whatever official marine weather is applicable, from DWD or Swedish SMHI or whatever.


I listen to the scheduled VHF weather and notices to mariners.


Sometimes I look at NAVTEX.


What do you use? Which model gives best results for the Baltic?


Anyone use FTPmail to get text weather forecasts or wefax?


Grateful for all tips.



I've been sailing the Baltic for many year but I'm looking to improve my process. I've been kind of lazy and have been relying on weather data downloaded over a mobile phone connection, but if you are crossing the Baltic from one side to the other you might not get a phone signal for a couple days at a time.



I sold my Iridium Go (regretting that now) but I have SSB and Pactor and amateur radio license, so I plan to start with GRIBs 4 times a day via SailDocs (or built in GRIB-fetcher in Winlink Express).


Interested in what others are doing.

[barnakiel]

This is by far the best source:


https://www.yr.no/sted/Danmark/Hovedstaden/Bornholm/


Also any coastal VHF station will pass you the most recent forecast. Just call them up. Few people do today as you are nearly always withing gsm / broadband range.



Why do you need gribs on the Baltic. It is just a small lake, not an ocean.


b.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

This is by far the best source:

https://www.yr.no/sted/Danmark/Hovedstaden/Bornholm/

Also any coastal VHF station will pass you the most recent forecast. Just call them up. Few people do today as you are nearly always withing gsm / broadband range.

Why do you need gribs on the Baltic. It is just a small lake, not an ocean.

b.

If you sail coastwise then of course it is simple to connect mobile phone data and download whatever you want. But the Baltic is 1400 miles or so from one end to the other, so it's actually possible to spend days without seeing land, if you're crossing non-stop.



Fresh data is really useful for weather routing, if you're sailing and not using the motor.



Do the Norwegians give their data with FTP mail?

[slug]

I had a quick look with my IPhone for HIRLAM
high resolution sources but no luck

This one came up

http://water.lv/fimarweb/index.html#d=current&v=Velocity&v=W



With patience you can find more

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

If you sail coastwise then of course it is simple to connect mobile phone data and download whatever you want. But the Baltic is 1400 miles or so from one end to the other, so it's actually possible to spend days without seeing land, if you're crossing non-stop.



Fresh data is really useful for weather routing, if you're sailing and not using the motor.



Do the Norwegians give their data with FTP mail?

Simply send yr.no an email and ask what they do other than the web interface. They are amazing bunch of people and most helpful. By far my favourite MetOffice, together with NOAA.



Well the Baltic may be shy of 1000 miles long but it is only some 120 miles WIDE and only at the widest place. And do to predominant Westerly patterns you are either coasting it or else zig-zagging it.


Mind Bornholm, Aland and Gotland all have well placed high mobile networks. So is Hel peninsula.



It takes me only 24 hours to cross it at the widest spot in a slow boat, and 50% of the crossing time I get mobile coverage on a handheld unit! So all and any data from the networks is available. Not to have mobile signal for a day there would be possible but only if you really try hard.



Is your phone antenna where it should be anyways?


It is but a big lake. Easy peasy. You have land-based wx stations everywhere you look and anything coming your way is spotted, measured and forecasted well ahead of time.


I grew up there. I sailed there. In times when the only wx source was that clunky VHF radio. There is nothing to it. Lake sailing.



Mixed weather starts about September. It may come early last week of August. It may be fine some days into September too. But come end of Sept, run and run fast. Rain, choppy seas and nothing to do onshore. All pretty girls return to their jobs, universities or whatever. Dead season starts.


Cheers, have fun out there,
b.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Simply send yr.no an email and ask what they do other than the web interface. They are amazing bunch of people and most helpful. By far my favourite MetOffice, together with NOAA.

Well the Baltic may be shy of 1000 miles long but it is only some 120 miles WIDE and only at the widest place. And do to predominant Westerly patterns you are either coasting it or else zig-zagging it.

Mind Bornholm, Aland and Gotland all have well placed high mobile networks. So is Hel peninsula.

It takes me only 24 hours to cross it at the widest spot in a slow boat, and 50% of the crossing time I get mobile coverage on a handheld unit! So all and any data from the networks is available. Not to have mobile signal for a day there would be possible but only if you really try hard.

Is your phone antenna where it should be anyways?

It is but a big lake. Easy peasy. You have land-based wx stations everywhere you look and anything coming your way is spotted, measured and forecasted well ahead of time.

I grew up there. I sailed there. In times when the only wx source was that clunky VHF radio. There is nothing to it. Lake sailing.

Mixed weather starts about September. It may come early last week of August. It may be fine some days into September too. But come end of Sept, run and run fast. Rain, choppy seas and nothing to do onshore. All pretty girls return to their jobs, universities or whatever. Dead season starts.

Cheers, have fun out there,
b.

I've single-handed from one end of the Baltic to the other, and more than once. It's possible to do it with max passages of 100 miles, so not even 24 hours.



But if you're trying to get from here to there without stopping, you might actually be out of mobile phone coverage for days on end. Hence the question.

[barnakiel]

Yes. From Denmark to Bothnia yes - you can sail down the center - your boss or wife will never get you on the phone!


Why not a wx-able sat tracker then?


A little InReach has so many uses - weather, gps, SOS, txt, etc. Get yourself one, switch it on, you have wx anywhere.



b.

[carstenb]

Dockhead

yr.no is by far (they are in an entirely different league than danish DMI or german or swedish gov. weather departments) the best for the baltic. you should be able to get something from them if you contact them - they might send on SSB frequencies, since Norway is a big country and has a huge shoreline out to thee north and arctic seas.

[PanuV]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I listen to the scheduled VHF weather and notices to mariners.

New to both sailing on seas and the forum. Therefore this may be a silly question, but you've got to start somewhere.

If you sail from Finland to Bornholm nonstop (as I intend to), will you be able to listen to these often? Regarding the VHF range.

Background: apart from a passage from Finland (via Hiiumaa) to Copenhagen as a teenager in the 90's I have sailed only on lakes (no need for VHF). And on that passage I paid attention mostly to the compass and the sails and left communication and navigation to the grown-ups.

This summer I'll join friends who are going to sail their boat to Denmark. I don't know whether VHF and mobile phones will be our only means of communication. I'm also going to study for the VHF certificate this Spring since it is quite possible that we'll take our own boat to the sea in the near future.

[NBs]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

This is by far the best source:


https://www.yr.no/sted/Danmark/Hovedstaden/Bornholm/


Also any coastal VHF station will pass you the most recent forecast. Just call them up. Few people do today as you are nearly always withing gsm / broadband range.



Why do you need gribs on the Baltic. It is just a small lake, not an ocean.


b.

Hah hah, smal lake... Litle bit video baltic sea waves
https://youtu.be/DUbDwek6rAQ

the wavelength vs height can be really nasty salty and the highest wave measured is over 18 meters high, that’s a good reason to be heard ...

I actually use Windy aps and I think it predicts well the wind, the wave size and angle° of the wave and old swell angle°. In Swedish area I keep an eye on SMHI forecasts and in German waters their official forecast. And Finland area Finnish Meteorological Institute.

Windy https://www.windy.com/

Finland and Åland sea https://en.ilmatieteenlaitos.fi/weather-and-sea

Sweden off shore https://www.smhi.se/en/weather/forec...g=en,area=none

Sweden costal

https://www.smhi.se/en/weather/forec...parameter=wind

Germany and Denmark

https://www.dwd.de/EN/ourservices/se...ordostsee.html


in finland and sweden the wind is m / s and in germany a different unit.

at sea you should get a wifi router with an external antenna that amplifies the signal.

NBs