Be The Captain (Book + Audiobook + 10% off Defender & 20% off PredictWind codes inside):
📖 English: https://bethecaptain.com/
🇪🇸 Español: https://a.co/d/08yiAfse

Modern offshore weather routing has changed everything—but only if you understand what you’re actually looking at.

In this video, I break down how modern weather routing really works, why waves—not wind—are the real danger offshore, and how new tools let us sail smarter and safer if we know how to use them correctly. We’ll look at how weather models are built, what they’re good at, where they fall apart, and how to use routing tools without letting them make decisions for you. This is about understanding patterns, not chasing forecasts.

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⏱ CHAPTERS
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0:00 — Waves Kill, Not Wind
0:39 — The Real Danger Offshore
1:49 — Why Secondary Swell Matters
2:39 — How Modern Routing Changed Everything
3:40 — How Weather Models Work
5:15 — GFS, ECMWF, SPIRE
10:01 — PredictWind Models (PWE, PWG)
10:31 — Why I Use PredictWind
11:17 — How to Plan an Offshore Route
15:00 — Why Wave State Matters More Than Wind
17:15 — Departure Planning
20:31 — Final Departure Advice
21:01 — Becoming Your Own Weather Router
21:27 — Secret Tools
23:30 — Climate Data & Pilot Charts
25:00 — PredictWind Data Hub
26:11 — Be The Captain
28:03 — What’s Next

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☕ SUPPORT THE CHANNEL
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Help us keep uncovering and telling these stories:
⚔️ Join the Inner Circle on Patreon: Patreon: bethecaptain
🍺 Buy the crew a beer / one-time tip: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/svzin...

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⚓ RECOMMENDED GEAR & PARTNERS
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• Defender Marine — Outfitting boaters since 1938 with trusted marine gear, expert advice, and refit supplies:
👉 Shop Defender Marine: https://defender.com/en_us/

• PredictWind — The world leader in offshore marine weather forecasting, routing, and departure planning:
👉 Check out PredictWind: https://www.predictwind.com/

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📖 TOOLS & RESOURCES REFERENCED
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Weather & Routing Tools:
• PredictWind: https://www.predictwind.com/
• earth.nullschool: https://earth.nullschool.net/
• Tropical Tidbits: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/

Weather Courses & Foundations:
• Coursera — Meteorology: https://www.coursera.org/learn/meteor...
• Atlas of Pilot Charts: https://msi.nga.mil/Publications/APC
• Harvard Backyard Meteorology: https://www.harvardonline.harvard.edu...
• Vanderbilt AstroNavigation: https://my.vanderbilt.edu/astronav/ov...

Recommended Talks & Videos:
• Multi-objective routing algorithms: Unlocking the power of multi-objective alg...
• 1320 Weather Windows (Campbell): 1320  Weather Windows and Weather Routing ...
• Recommended Speakers: Ken McKinley (Marine Weather Fundamentals), Lee Chesneau (The 500 mb Surface), Frank Bohlen (Ocean Currents, Waves, and Sea State), NOAA OPC (Ocean Forecasting), SailMail (Communications for Weather), Ralph Naranjo (The Navigator’s Weather Watch)

Weather Routers:
• Star Weather Routing: starweatherrouting@gmail.com
• Bob McDavitt: https://metbob.com/

Stories & Further Reading:
• Wings Sail Blog (Nov 1998): https://wingssail.blogspot.com/1998/11/
• S.S. El Faro: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_El_Faro
• Be The Captain by James Allan Evenson (My award-winning maritime field manual).

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🎬 ABOUT THE CHANNEL
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True stories from the sea — the rescues, the wrecks, and the choices that decide who comes home. You don't have to be a sailor to feel them. But if you are, they might change the way you feel about the water.

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📷 Archival photographs courtesy of press/public archives. If you hold the rights to any image used here and would like credit or removal, please contact captain@bethecaptain.com

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