Bulletin Board

I have been using the wind routing tool for this entire leg, and got around the tip of SriLanka 28th, kudos to Omar and VRtools.
However I see an increasingly big(ger) different to the imported winds though the NOAA service and the vrtoutoulz.com. The NOAA is nice automatic import but varies from the game wind. vrtouloulz wind is spot on, but usually 45~55 minutes late. NOAA can be imported an hour before but than the routing crashes since the times dont match up.

But the big question is which wind prog is better? I get hughly different track using NAOO, VRtoulouz and both and varying in time over 2 hours finishing time..

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

I always use the NOAA import and it seems to match the game perfectly (since Omar added the interpolation). Also if you steer carefully along a plotted track the elapsed times are spot on. That suggests the NOAA weather is correct, at least for 0h. Earlier in the game the grid was adjusted to fill in holes in the wind - like you never got 0 knots. I don't know if it still does, but obviously if you're in 28th you've stayed well clear of those!

I get the feeling that since Sri Lanka the routing has been really soft - small changes make big difference to the route and widely different courses end up in the same place. That would amplify the effect of any small differences in the grids.

Hi Froos,

Mcleans comment is correct
Updated WIND (NOAA) is available every 6 hours (UTC 10/16/22 and 4) –(only) Wind given at 4 and 1600h matches with VORG perfectly.
Pls keep in mind that TRACK DESIGNER SETTINGS have to be adjusted if you are going to check/adjust your track with wind given at 10 and 22 UTC

Dear OMAR and Crew
Many thanks for this very helpful tool WEATHER ROUTING especially when you going to steer more than one boat; I wouldn’t know how to handle it.

fair winds
actually on EFSF I 05°15'55" N 088°52'42" VORG screen NNE 8° 7,3knts VRTool twd 8°tws 7,4 knts

Thanks JOS and mclean, ill stick to NOAA winds

But that malaka straight is very difficult to navigate with opposing wind cubes and hugh diffences in strength even for the routing tool

AFAIK, NOAA winds work fine for both VORG and VR.
Just do not update winds in the 2 hours before the wind shift.
Vrtool NOAA winds wil be updated to a newer forecast
than the games (which have a certain delay to NOAA publication).

So set automatic update to HH:00, where HH is the wind shift time.
You have to do the first wind download when you open the program.
Click [winds] button and Download Now

Vrtoutoulz is also convenient and reliable. Set server field
to "www.vrtoutoulz.fr/winds". Then point a location and press F2