Thread: WEFAX
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Gerald Gerald is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 41
Default WEFAX

For a list of WEFAX charts available from US sources, check
http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/marine.shtml.

For books discussing marine weather and the use of WEFAX, I would recommend
Weather Predicting Simplified by Mike Carr and Mariner's Weather Handbook by
the Dashews (http://weather.noaa.gov/fax/marine.shtml)

For a quick course on marine weather check with Ocean Navigator Magazine
(www.oceannavigator.com). They frequently offer such a course and I have
found everything they do to be outstanding.

A list of WEFAXs by itself will do you no good if you don't know what they
are telling you. That is as much an art as it is a science and takes some
work to be decent at it. While I would never have pass myself off as a
meteorologist, I have found that learning how to read these charts has given
me a much better safety margin for offshore passages. At the end of the
day, I am responsible for my safe passage, not the guy at the Weather
channel, NOAA, the USCG, or the boat next to me.

Also, if you are planning to make such a passage, will you have marine SSB
on board? If so, you can get the charts through SailMail. If you will have
a satphone available, you can download them over it. Both are faster and
less hassle than grabbing them off the air, although that works fine too.


"Hanz" wrote in message
...
What wefaxs (like PYAA02) should I use while traving from Norfolk,VA to St
Thomas,V.I.


Hanz