Isn't it amazing how accurate those pilot charts are?
Why can't the six o'clock news team use the pilot charts to get there weather? Just kidding, I wouldn't want to screw up the one system we have for predicting weather decades in the future by imposing the weather service on it. The weather service spends billions of dollars a year on the latest technology but recognizes the fact that there own 3 day forecast is only 50% accurate and there 7 day forecast is no more than a guess.
What about global warming? What about the changing global weather systems, the onset of the coming glacial meltdown, stronger weather systems and bigger more powerful hurricanes at sea? The truth of the matter is there hasn't been much change in the long term weather systems in a hundred years, or how could these charts even begin to be useful.
In actual use, at sea, the accuracy of the pilot charts is amazing. What you really have in the pilot charts are easy to read monthly charts made from collected past weather experience, and they are quite accurate, even decades in advance. The charts are of a scale to include the entire ocean broken down into 5 degree by 5 degree squares and assigned a wind direction, strength, and wind predominance along with similar current information per month. The information has been collected from reports made by mariners over more than150 years. In the Atlantic some information dates back 5 hundred years or so. But the deal is they are only monthly charts and they are useful year after year. How can that be?
Before the 60's Atlantic crossings by private yacht were unheard of. All of the crossings were done by great ships. At about that time what was known as the frontiers of the capabilities of the modern yacht were proven by crewed and single handed adventurers.
During the 19th century the United States Bureau of Charts under one of it's most famous directors, Mathew Maury published monthly charts containing the average wind and currents. These were the first pilot charts, and were invaluable to mariners of that time. The problem today facing yachtsman is not so much the availability of information but that the information is geared for the professional market. This makes the information prohibitively expensive and requires extensive understanding of piloting skills. With Pilot charts the collection of 150 years of knowledge is in one place and easy to read. Making pilot charts once again an invaluable resource.
On the Ni Orsi's vessel Finalmente's latest voyage, the length of the Atlantic, we crossed the equator from Brazil to the Azores. With a copy of Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes", and a set of pilot charts we began our planning. Looking back on our voyage that was our most useful time spent. It literally worked. While all the weather downloads and updates and net weathermen were very comforting as we made the crossing they all only verified what we got from these two sources.
As we went from block to block on the pilot chart within hours the weather changed or remained the same as the chart predicted. When crossing 30 Latitude we entered a high, variable light winds (3 on the Beaufort scale) coming from several blocks that showed 4 on the Beaufort scale which we found true. Within one watch change from entering the block the wind had stopped and the seas had calmed. Again later we entered the next block and within one watch change the wind had come around 60 degrees to lift us into the Azores just like Jimmy Cornell and the pilot charts had predicted.
The trip we planed six months ago began by drawing a very narrow "S" shape starting at 0 degrees Latitude (The equator) and 38 degrees Longitude (The Azores) between Longitude 28 to East and Longitude 32 to the West. This turned out to be so prophetic of our course it was almost scary. Jimmy Cornell says get east out of Brazil to between 28 and 30 degrees at the equator then follow the trades. Looking at the pilot charts we drew this in yellow on the April pilot chart and it made represented by our "S" shape between 28 Longitude and 32 Longitude from the equator to the Azores. Looking back on our trip this yellow line looks pretty much like our tracking line.
How does that happen? With all the high tech, satellites and imaging the government can come up with why can't we get as good a system for predicting weather as the good old pilot charts. We could just keep records of the last 100 years and predict from those and of course the previous day or three days weather. Why wouldn't that be 50% or better accurate? Sure would save a lot of money. Is anybody listening? .
Randy Sparks
293 A. Vega Rd
Royal Oaks Cal 95076
(831) 728-0905
/EX