{"id":647,"date":"2026-02-26T14:43:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=647"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:43:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T14:43:55","slug":"expert-navigator-tips-how-to-master-weather-models-for-a-winning-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yachtersworld.com\/?p=647","title":{"rendered":"Expert Navigator Tips: How to Master Weather Models for a Winning Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professional skipper Will Harris explains to Andy Rice how to make a navigation plan using weather models to win a sailing race<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Will
Will Harris at the nav station of the IMOCA Malizia in the 2023 iteration of The Ocean Race. Photo: Antoine Auriol\/Team Malizia\/The Ocean Race<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When he\u2019s working up a weather and routing plan<\/a> for an offshore race, Will Harris likes to build up the information in layers. The work can start weeks in advance for a big race like the Rolex Fastnet Race<\/a>, but the homework really starts ramping up in the final seven days.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom one week out we\u2019re looking at the big picture, how the jet stream is moving, how the synoptic charts are shaping up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not talking to the rest of the crew at this stage, I don\u2019t want to bother them with a plan that\u2019s got a high chance of changing in the coming days. But I\u2019ll look to get them all involved in the final stages when things are starting to look more certain,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

The depth of Will\u2019s research is too great to cover in full detail here, but his five tips should help set you up with a good understanding of how to put your own weather and routing plan in place.<\/p>\n

\"Thorough\n

Thorough preparation makes navigating from the rail smoother. Here Callisto heads offshore in the 2025 RORC Admiral\u2019s Cup. Photo: Rick Tomlinson\/RORC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

1. Making a navigation plan: Get the big picture<\/h2>\n

Studying synoptic charts will help you understand the big picture. If we\u2019re doing a race around the English Channel, we\u2019re in an area of a few hundred miles radius. We need to understand what are the features on a bigger scale, what are the main features influencing us? Is there high pressure over Europe? Is there a low pressure system coming in?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to understand the bigger picture before we dig into a smaller, more detailed area, because if we don\u2019t understand the bigger picture we don\u2019t understand the dynamics or the factors that might be changing as we\u2019re racing.<\/p>\n

For example, if we\u2019re in a high pressure system, we know that can mean you\u2019re more likely to see night breezes as the sun\u2019s going down, or thermal breezes. Whereas if we\u2019re in low pressure situations it\u2019s much less likely for that to happen, and we\u2019re relying more on the gradient breeze.<\/p>\n

2. Analyse multiple weather models<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s too easy to rely on the routing and not do the more in-depth research. A good navigator will never put their trust in just one weather model.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already talked about looking at the synoptic charts for the bigger picture, and the next level down is to look at the ensemble models.<\/p>\n

You should examine at least four or five models to see if they all align. Have they been aligning for the last few days, or do they show big differences? If they\u2019re diverging, what day do the models start showing differences \u2013 day three or day five, for example? Then you know until what day you need to start working on your strategy again.<\/p>\n

The more the models start to align, the more confidence we can take from the forecast. For the biggest picture overview the key sources are the UK Met Office synoptic charts; the US-based NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), which produces the GFS model; the DWD (Deutscher Wetterdienst) in Germany, which produces the new ICON model; and Meteo France, which produces good high- and low-resolution models.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to look at all four of these models, and there\u2019s a good website for quickly flicking between these sources \u2013 wetterzentrale.de enables you to compare the models and see the differences quite clearly.<\/p>\n

Article continues below\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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How to navigate unfamiliar waters: a pilot book writer shares key skills<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
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When a Volvo Ocean Race yacht famously hit a charted reef at full speed, it wasn\u2019t because the data was\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n