However, globe-girdlers need to understand that SiriusXM Marine’s coverage footprint is not global it is limited to the continental U.S. Bluewater sailors will want the Marine Offshore plan. (Receivers, commonly called black boxes, are available from all of the major marine-electronics manufacturers see manufacturers’ websites for pricing information.) SiriusXM Marine users can choose between three different levels of service: Marine Inland, Marine Coastal or Marine Offshore. Satellite-based weather services such as SiriusXM Marine deliver reception far outside of Wi-Fi or cellular coverage, but they require a dedicated, networked receiver that ties into your navigation system, as well as a subscription plan. Once devices are connected, data can be downloaded from a number of sources, including government agencies, like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and private sources, such as Ocens and SailGrib. While the technologies are different, all of it depends on connectivity, whether it’s by Wi-Fi, cellular hotspot, satellite or single-sideband radio. Marine-weather tools can be broken into two categories: computer-based weather-routing software, and satellite- or Internet-based forecasting, which is integrated with a boat’s navigation-instrument displays. Here’s a look at different options, the technology behind them, and ways you can best leverage all this information while underway. Thanks to advances in communications and significantly more sophisticated weather-prediction capabilities, today’s weather forecasting and weather-routing products give sailors impressive tools to avoid rough weather and take advantage of conditions to reduce passage times. Modern-day mariners enjoy far better weather information than the scratchy VHF broadcasts that we listened to on that stormy night on the Gulf of Maine. While I didn’t exactly pass my first offshore test with high marks, I gained early insight into the real-world importance of accurate offshore weather forecasts. I can still remember how excited I was to stand next to my dad at the helm and wave goodbye to my mom ashore, and how I struggled - not 12 hours later - to hold my seasick head perpendicular to my shoulders as lightning flashed staccato fingers across the inky sky and Windancer’s bow slammed into the Gulf of Maine’s confused seas. The year was 1987, I was 10 years old, and earlier that afternoon, my mother had heeded my unswerving pleas to help deliver Windancer, the family’s C&C 37, from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Long Island Sound. The first and second times that I tasted coffee happened in much quicker succession than anyone would have liked, thanks to my first dance with mal de mer. The latest weather tracking electronics are making planning and sailing offshore voyages safer and easier.
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