There are lots of apps and other ways to check on local weather conditions before you head out for a sail, but the information from any given source is only as good as it is pertinent to your specific location. For example, for many years before the development of smartphones and apps, I went online to check the current wind conditions provided from the nearest NOAA buoy. Although the buoy is located only 11 miles from my harbor, I frequently found conditions around my boat very different from those reported at the buoy.
Many weather reports online or on the radio are based on observations even more distant or generalized for a whole area. The best approach is to survey all available sources and determine which reported observations most closely match your own. Then use that source when you want to check on conditions at your boat.
The WeatherLink Network of amateur weather stations all around the U.S. and elsewhere may give you access to weather conditions very near your exact location. Once you confirm a specific station is best for your location, it's easy to make your own "app" to access it (actually a bookmark shortcut on your home screen) instantly.
The WeatherLink Network
WeatherLink is an online network of weather data measured by owners of Davis Instruments weather stations around the world. Many thousands of volunteer weather enthusiasts connect their weather stations to their computers, which automatically upload current data online.
The first step is to visit weatherlink.com and click the "station map" to look for nearby stations. I was surprised to find several in and around my tiny coastal New England town - including one at a marina on my harbor. Talk about local data!
From the station map you can simply click any station to see its data: temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and barometric pressure and trending. Note that these stations do not provide forecasts but a snapshot of local conditions. It takes only a moment to scan different stations around your area to see variations in winds and other data.
If you find a station near where you typically sail, click through to its specific URL and bookmark the link. Then you can set up a shortcut on your smartphone or tablet to give instant access (when connected) to the data as if you've just created your own app.
The data from Davis weather instruments is typically as good as that from any other report - the key thing is to use a station that matches your specific location as closely as possible. Over time you'll know the extent to which you can trust that your conditions will match those reported.
Making a Home Page Shortcut "App" Icon
If you've never made a home page icon (like in an app) for instant access to a bookmarked URL such as your WeatherLink station, here's how to do it.
On Android:
- Using your device's Internet browser, first find the web page for the weather station you plan to use. Bookmark it.
- Give the bookmark a very short, identifiable name that will make sense under the screen icon, such as "Local W". Save this bookmark.
- Now select a blank spot on one of your home screens where you want the icon to appear. Tap and hold to get the option to add a shortcut. Select bookmark as the shortcut type, then select the bookmark you just created - and now you have a one-tap, app-like access to your local weather data.
On Apple:
- First, go to the website page in the Safari browser.
- You have an option to make a bookmark of this page first or to skip that step and directly insert it on the home screen. Tap the symbol at the bottom middle that looks like a square with a curved arrow.
- Follow the screen instructions to make a bookmark if you want. Then tap that symbol again.
- Select "Add to home screen."
- Give the bookmark a very short, identifiable name that will make sense under the screen icon, such as "Local W". Save this bookmark.
- Tap "Add" at the top. The icon will be added in the first open space on a home screen.
- Use the usual Apple method to move the icon button where you want to position it. (Make your own boating screen by positioning boating apps and bookmarks together on their own screen.)
