Predict Wind Review — Sailing Ixion

*This is not a paid review, it’s an honest opinion based on experience*

Mother Nature is not something you play it by ear with. You respect her, and follow in her footsteps. At no point should you ever try to fight her, instead, you work with her and move to and fro as she sees fit. Which is why as a sailor you want a plethora of tools at your disposal so that you follow the safest path possible. In this specific case, our focus is on Predict Wind, a weather and wind app.

If you watch our new video that comes out Thursday, you will see what prompted me to write this review. I won’t go into full detail, for that, watch the video when it arrives by subscribing to our YouTube channel. (Go to Episodes page). Several weeks ago, we were hit with a storm blowing at 50 knots consistently for several hours. While we were in a marina behind a Hurricane barrier, we were still hit with extremely strong winds. Thanks to Predict Wind we were able to prepare for the oncoming storm, and watch the wind from afar while we were away from the boat tucked in at our temporary home.

Before the age of modern technology, people employed a plethora of different methods to tell weather and wind. Some of that consisted of praying to the ocean god of your pantheon and hoping you have a safe passage. Understanding of weather patterns, barometric pressure, etc have all progressed rapidly in the last century in regards to technology that can read those things. There are still some sailors who prefer to use classic methods to chart their journey, but I have yet to meet one who prefers to go to the dark ages in regards to weather routing. Like I said before, you don’t want to tango with Mother Nature, she will always win. So, weather you prefer Windy or Predict Wind, I definitely recommend you invest in the features they offer. Better to be safe than sorry.

Predict Wind is similar to it’s competition in what it offers. Not only are you able to view a wind map for locations, but you can also see gust maps, wave, rain, cloud, and even moon phases. It basically gives you every single thing that would come into play when planning your route. Some may question why the phases of the moon comes into play, but we all know that the moon can affect tides, so by knowing whether it’s waxing or waning is important in your tide tables. Apart from the vast amounts of information that you receive from it, you can also use the app to plan your routes. I will go into further detail about this function later in the post. For now, I want to focus on the information it provides.

Like many people who didn’t study Meteorology, I can’t exactly predict weather beyond the basics. Most weather stations provide basic knowledge, including a radar, and it’s easily accessible. The problem with this information is, it’s very limited. You can watch as a storm blows in, but it doesn’t show specific wind patterns, or even the difference in speed in varying locations. Something that a sailor definitely needs to know pretty much at all times. Add that to cloud coverage, rain map, and atmospheric pressure map and you can pretty much predict the weather. Just like any service, and news station, it’s not always accurate. Multiple times they’ve called for moderate to light winds, and low swell and the opposite was true. This isn’t always a negative of the app, but the study of weather at large. Unfortunately it’s just not always right.

One of the best features they offer is route planning. You can input your destination, and when you would like to leave. It then plans the route, including your tack. It will give you multiple routes, starting at multiple times, and even days. It’s a great tool because it allows you to actively see what your route will look like over the course of a window of time. From the height of the water to the strength of the gusts. Obviously, it’s not a perfect science so you should rely on your own knowledge of weather watching and route planning, but it’s definitely a tool that comes in handy to make the job just a little bit easier for you.

Now for the not so fun part, the money. Like any great service, there is always a monetary threshold to get to the best stuff, and the same can be said about Predict Wind. To have access to the weather routing, and many similar features you have to sign up for their Standard Package. The Basic package below doesn’t include the routing, or many of the best features available. The price of the Standard Package is $99 for three months or $249 for a year. While some may not even flinch at the price, others will balk at it. Nearly 300 a year for a service is quite steep. Not everyone is willing to pay for that amount, especially after spending money upgrading all the technology on their boat. When you plan it out monthly it is only 20.75, so a much nicer number to look at. Like many things in the cruising world, it’s not exactly cheap. Especially since It’s a yearly payment. But, I personally think it’s definitely worth the price.

Apart from the inaccuracies that occasionally arise, I don’t have too many negatives for the app. It has come in handy every time we plan passages, or just want to watch the wind and weather to ensure that our boat is always safe. It’s not a fix all for route planning, but it definitely is a tool that makes the whole process easier when you use it alongside other tools including chartplotters, and your own onboard instruments. You can integrate with a B&G chartplotter, but this is not something we have tried yet, so we can’t really speak to it. Overall, I definitely recommend this service. It is a little pricey, but definitely worth it if you can afford it. If you can’t, you can save two locations and have access to basic functions like wind speeds. I know there are a lot of people who are reluctant to add newer technology into their lives apart from their boat instruments, but I say don’t be. Depth, speed, and wind aren’t the only things you need. Adding smartphone and tablet applications can make your job so much easier, and enjoyable. And, aren’t we all doing this just to enjoy life? So make it easier on yourself by checking out Predict Wind.

-Jake