Bobgram

Bob McDavitt's ideas for sailing around the South Pacific. Disclaimer: Weather is a mix of pattern and chaos; these ideas are from the patterned world. Compiled 19 Apr 2026 TEN TIPS FOR CRUISING SAILORS (2026 edition) Starlink is fast becoming the norm for cruising sailors but may well be outside your budget. Now that cruising sailors are on their final preparations for departing New Zealand for the warmth of the tropical Islands, 'tis is a good time to review the ways to obtain weather forecasts and/or provide position reports when at sea. 1. ZLM/Taupo Maritime Radio offer a continuous 24/7 Trip reporting service, see https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/about-us/what-we-do/safety-and-response/the-m aritime-radio-service-for-new-zealand/ The HIGH SEAS forecast for the areas SUBTROPIC FORTIES and PACIFIC from MetService is read out in English via ZLM at 0903hr, and 2103hr UTC on 6224 and 12356KHz and repeated an hour later on 8297 and 16531 KHz. SOUTHERN is read out at 0303/2103 (www.metservice.com/marine/radio-schedule) NZ MetService ceased their ZKLF Radio fax 1 July 2023 Australia's Bureau of Meteorology still sends weather maps by HF Radio fax. The nearest transmitter to the South Pacific is VMC in Charleville, schedule is at www.bom.gov.au/marine/radio-sat/radio-fax-schedule.shtml 2. Gulf Harbour Radio ZMH286 www.ghradio.co.nz ghradio@xtra.co.nz Patricia and David keep track of boats that listen to their rollcall/weather service. Firstly, contact them via email or radio with your details - boat name, MMSI, boat type and length. Then let them know when you are about to take off and whether you will be on air each night. They operate 1 May-30 Nov Mon-Fri on 8752USB at 0515 UTC (which is 5:15pm NZST and an hour later during daylight saving, 6:15pm). Each broadcast is live streamed so friends and family can hear your check in and follow along. David gives a weather update each night for the passage routes and the islands. And their web site has articles of general interest and specifically on weather. 3. Passage Guardian passageguardian.nz peter@passageguardian.nz Passage Monitoring is operated by Peter Mott and provides a global free-of-charge service (donations welcome) that monitors the progress of recreational vessels conducting ocean passages. Peter uses a range of tools, including satellite trackers, AIS and email, and multiple maritime radio frequencies to keep a constant watch on yachts that have filed a float plan prior to departure. The service has a formal policy for dealing with a missed check in. Whilst available to all yachts, Passage Monitoring is especially suited to shorthanded and solo sailors, in particular circumnavigators. 4. AMATEUR RADIO/Ham net: PACSEANET pacseanet.gmail.com The Pacific Seafarers Net is a ham (amateur radio) network providing a free of charge check in service on amateur frequency 14300KHz USB in the 20-metre band at 0300UTC. To participate, operator needs to hold an Amateur Radio Operators Certificate (General class or above). In the amateur radio service, the callsign is assigned to the licensed operator, so this is a different callsign from using a maritime callsign. Position reports are received and reported in the well-known YOTREPS format (but missed calls may not be followed up). They have 12 listening station dotted between Australia and Alabama. See pacseanet.blogspot.com 5. EMAIL via HF requires a PACTOR modem sailmail.com Connect a Pictor modem to your SSB radio and send email 6. Weather charts accessed via EMAIL if you only have email (be it win link/sail mail/iridium/Inmarsat/Gmail), Saildocs (saildocs.com) relays details of a TEXT BASED webpage. See weather.mailasail.com/Franks-Weather/Home They allow you to download, e.g., the latest Fiji Met Service High Seas by sending an email, no subject necessary, to query@saildocs.com with message: SEND http://www.met.gov.fj/aifs_prods/10140.txt 7. Y2K Weather Links hub www.y2ksail.com/meteo-link.html Alex and Max have been sailing around the South Pacific for several years now on yacht Y2K. They have compiled of list of marine weather resources for cruising sailors that can be summoned via snail mail . Direct links to key official meteorological services for the region (e.g. MetService NZ, Fiji Met Service, Mateo-France New Caledonia) and other relevant forecast providers. . Links for accessing satellite imagery, weather charts, and sea state analysis. . Access points for text forecasts suitable for low-bandwidth connections. Visit this page BEFORE DEPARTURE and note the links you may need on your voyage. 8.. Fiji Fleet code. How to download a map via HF (thru email) This is real old school stuff, but it still works if you need it. To download the latest Nadi Fleet Code, send an email to query@saildocs.com, no subject needed, saying SEND nadi-fleetcode Or SEND https://tgftp.nws.noaa.gov/data/raw/as/asps20.nffn.txt This can be viewed within the Fleet Code plug in OpenCPN. Download this at opencpn.org/OpenCPN/info/downloadopencpn.html Open the email and select and copy the data (right click, Control A then Control C on a PC). Then, in OpenCPN's Fleet code plugin, there are 4 options: Files, Text, Raw and Downloads. Select Raw and then <paste> or CTRL-V and Voila! the map appears. I still have a copy of the old, no longer supported Fleet code viewing program call Phys Plot. If you want to try it, let me know. 9. Smart phone apps: Some satellite phones now provide Wi-Fi that allow nearby smartphones to use apps. www.predictwind.com provides an app that supplies forecast model data, observations and, at the Professional Account level, tools for routing and comparing departure dates. It also has a position tracking tool and can help with iridium Go! and some other GPS devices. A moderate subscription gives access to its universal AIS package with a regional search option. The Windy.com App has a free basic option. It also has a subscription option that can be used to compile route plots. To make one on a PC: - "right click" anywhere on the map, this will open a small context window. - choose "Distance & Planning"; - place your points on the map; chose 'Boat' and enter your average likely speed. Shift the start time to see which gives the best voyage. Click on "more options" bottom left and in the "table of points" you just made, click the button label "share" in the bottom right corner; - remember and use the short URL link provided or the long URL in the top of your browser. You can also make one by building the URL manually if you are familiar with this. Each time you plug this URL in your browser, Windy will show an updated map of your planned route. 10 YiT, Yachts in Transit, at www.yit.nz or mike@yit.nz has a smart phone app, and offers a subscription service to plot your reports and blogs on the web and to request weather information via coded emails. They also provide info on how to use iridium Go!, YB Tracking, or Garmin inReach for communications. This site was closed for a while but returned in 2023. TROPICS . Typhoon Senkaku raked the Northern Mariana Islands as a Category-4 storm, overturning cars, uprooting trees and ripping off metal roofs in Saipan. . Remnants of former Cyclone Vaianu knocked out power, triggered floods and force hundreds to evacuate in northern New Zealand. WEATHER ZONES The SPCZ is active from New Guinea to Vanuatu to Fiji. A Tropical Low is expected to form on the SPCZ in the New Caledonian region on Sat 25 April and travel southeast onto NZ by mid next week. To may interfere with travel in the region next weekend, but the models are differing with location and timing at this stage so be watchful. High H1 which been blocking proceedings well east of NZ is expected to weaken away next few days. Low L1 has been quasi stationary in Tasman Sea last week (after VAIANU) and is expected to cross NZ on Monday/Tuesday then move off to the southeast as H1 finally relaxes. Associated weak trough over Fiji Tonga is expected to move off to the east in tandem with L1. L1 is followed in NZ by cold southerly flow until Thursday. HIGH H2 is expected to dodge to south of NZ and then go NE L2 south of Australia nis expected to go southeast. HIGH H3 is a fast mover and should move from Aussie Bight mid-week to central NZ on Friday and Saturday. . >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you would like more details about your voyage, check metbob.com Or Facebook at /www.facebook.com/metbobnz/ Weathergram with graphics is at metbob.wordpress.com (subscribe/unsubscribe at bottom). Weathergram archive (with translator) is at weathergram.blogspot.co.nz. Contact is bob@metbob.com or text 64277762212. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>