Apps and websites we use

Here, onboard White Dog, we use several apps and websites to search for the information that is crucial for our well-being. I’m not talking “spa” here. Our daily routine starts with weather and during the hurricane season it starts, ends with weather checks, sometimes also in between. Every now and then we move so we use other apps and websites to plan a passage and to navigate. Over the years we checked quite a number of them and we stick to what’s listed below. I hope you will find it useful too. Do not hesitate to ask for details or share if you have anything worth a recommendation. I’m sure there are many more. Let us know in the comments below! If you are looking for any link to WhatsApp or Messenger groups send us a message we will send you an invite.

Weather

• Windy Premium app for daily weather checks. Most of the time ECMWF model is what works the best. GFS is slightly better with thunderstorm activity models. Copernicus current model is unbeatable and I will argue with everyone on that! Link: www.windy.com
• LuckGrib app for passage planning and routing – it is an app made by cruiser for cruisers. You pay once, no abonnaments and other BS sold by PW. Covers all major models globally, plus local models varied by area. Unfortunately it is only available for Mac OS and iOS. Link: https://luckgrib.com/
• Local weather radar – if the area is not covered by Windy
• Local Meteo Office on Facebook for daily info and weather warnings – in the Caribbean it was Meteo France Antilles et Guyanne (https://meteofrance.mq/fr/marine) and Trinidad and Tobago Met Services (https://www.metoffice.gov.tt) which cover most of the Wind/Leeward Islands, Mexico (https://smn.conagua.gob.mx/es/)

Hurricane/Cyclone Season

Caribbean:

• NHC – National Hurricane Center website: part of US NOAA official meteo office. Link https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• Tropical Tidbits website has a deep 90’s design, but it is very reliable, owned by Levi Cowan, meteorologist with Ph.D. He also replies personally to any meteo questions. You can see there all predictions sooner than on NHC. Link: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/storminfo/
• Windy app – they have a hurricane tracker built in. As for hurricanes, I use Windy only to make nice screenshots for social media 🙂
• Météo France Antilles et Guyanne (https://meteofrance.mq/fr/marine) and Trinidad and Tobago Met Services (https://www.metoffice.gov.tt)
• +Facebook cruisers groups to get pumped up, but mostly to find out what kind of panic level is expected to estimate how many boats would be hiding in mangrove

Colombia to Guatemala:

• Same as above +
• Windy Satellite INF model for tracking thunderstorms/culo de pollos and any other big monsters

Mexico:

• Same as above +
• Sonrisa website – Jake’s famous Chubasco Report at: https://sonrisanet.tonybishop.org/chubasco
• Mexican Meteo Office

French Polynesia:

• Same as above without NHC – currently looking for some southern hemisphere option
• Meteo France FP https://meteo.pf/fr

Navigation

Daily

• Navionics App and/or Navionics charts for plotter. We always leave old tracks, as a navigational aid for the next time or to share it with other cruisers.
• OpenCPN app
• SAT pictures, geo-referenced for OpenCPN

Passage planning

• OpenCPN – open source software where you can upload maps and satellite photos
• World Cruising Routes by Jimmy Cornel (book) best start to plan when to go, what to expect: weather patterns, currents, typical weather phenomena
• Windy – there is a Distance and Planning option – I use it to measure the distance and observe weather patterns before the passage. I make also a rough estimate of timing the weather along the way with average speed (no polars available here, but if you know your boat and know few things about the weather and sailing – that does the job for me)

Local guides for coastal info (what we used, and what worked for us)

• Caribbean: Doyle Guides, best, updated regularly, you can also meet Mr Doyle cruising between the islands as a bonus
• Colombia: Cruising Guide https://www.clubnauticocartagena.com/cruising-guides-links
• Panama: Eric Bauhaus, Eric lives in Linton Bay and you can buy the latest version directly from him. Very cool guy, reliable source of local knowledge, basically the only option for Gunayala (San Blas)
• Mexico: Pacific Coast/Sea of Cortez by Shawn Breading+Heather Bansmer
• Friends and Cruising Family – there is always somebody who has a story.

Entry procedures

• Noonsite.com website and app for general info, entry ports, and requirements – this info is however mostly for US citizens, very often other rules apply for EU citizens, but this websites gives info on where to look for details. Link to the website https://www.noonsite.com/
• Facebook – cruisers info for the area you are interested
• WhatsApp/Messenger groups for personal experience with local authorities, extracurricular fees (read: bribes) etc.
• localy: Pacvoy group for Pacific or Panama Possey (some info is available there too)
• Friends and Cruising Family – there is always somebody who has a story
• Official government websites to verify all the social media info.

Anchoring

Anchorage info

• Navionics App or charts on plotter – app is cheaper, we used it along the coast of Central America, and it worked very well. Now we have regular charts in the plotter, but honestly it is harder to use the chart info on the plotter than in the app.
• Noforeignland website and app – cruisers website where you can find information about local services, dinghy docks, trash, laundry, shops. Information feed from other cruisers, we contribute too, you can also follow other boats and see their tracks. Very useful. We met Helena and Neal, the creators, in Trinidad back in 2019. The website grew tremendously, popular among most of the long-time cruisers. We took part in creating the app and we moderate the Moody Owners group. Highly recommended for all cruisers https://www.noforeignland.com/
• Vesper AIS WatchMate App – I don’t use any other apps that give me a reading when I’m off the boat or any alarms. If the weather is bad, we simply don’t go anywhere or one person stays. We use handheld VHF to communicate from land or local GSM cards if we stay longer in the place. No extra alarms are needed because if the weather is bad at night we don’t sleep anyways…

What, where, how and how much…in the new place

• Noforeignland – cruisers website where you can find information about local services, dinghy docks, trash, laundry, shops. Information feed from other cruisers, we contribute too.
• Facebook Cruisers Groups – service quality, flea markets
• WhatsApp/Messenger groups – general info, flea markets

Social life

• Facebook Cruisers Groups
• Kids4sail – kids social network
• WhatsApp/Messenger groups for sailing kids – available per location
• Discord chat for kids to connect all around the planet

I am sure many of you use different apps and websites and please share if you have anything interesting. Maybe just not Predict Wind. It is way too expensive, and sells data that you can obtain from more affordable resources, not to mention that PW just annoys me with their interpretations, nothing I can’t get from LuckGRIB for a reasonable one-time fee.

If you are new here, check out our other sailing articles. We write about areas which were challenging to obtain information about or took us by surprise: navigation-, safety- or weatherwise. Don’t forget to subscribe if you want to hear from us every now and then 🙂

Yo-Ho to you… Sailors, prospects and friendly visitors
Cheers from the Marquesas!