Regatta weather forecasting

Make every race day count.

Time on the water is limited and expensive. Offwatch Labs turns the relevant global and high-resolution local models, plus ocean-current guidance, into one clear forecast for your venue and racing window, so your team can prepare around a shared weather picture instead of piecing one together from generic weather apps.

Any regatta or venue Windward-leeward and coastal racing Crew-ready PDF
Actual forecast extractSynoptic situation / St Tropez
Actual forecast extract showing the synoptic situation, ECMWF wind map and synoptic-scale wind table for St Tropez
Extracted directly from the current report format. Every forecast is configured around the event, venue and racing window.
110+available model options across atmosphere, current and ocean conditions
1.1 kmbest atmospheric resolution, with current fields to 300 m at 15-minute intervals where available
40+years of combined racing experience
Anyregatta, race area or venue, worldwide
The cost of uncertainty

Race days are too valuable to improvise the weather.

A regatta already represents travel, entry fees, crew time, preparation and a rare block of time together on the water. Starting without a dedicated forecast, or spending race morning reconciling several weather apps, uses valuable time on a problem that can be solved before leaving the dock.

A forecast cannot guarantee the result. It can reduce avoidable weather uncertainty before the start.

01

Limited race time

You do not get a race day back. Arriving without a coherent weather picture creates avoidable uncertainty before the first start.

02

Fragmented guidance

Generic weather apps show model outputs. They leave you to decide which guidance deserves weight, where it disagrees and how local effects may change the racecourse.

03

No shared picture

If the navigator, tactician, coach and crew begin with different assumptions, the team starts reacting instead of executing a prepared plan.

04

One race-ready forecast

Your team receives the likely evolution, uncertainty, credible alternatives and the clues to watch on the water in one crew-ready briefing.

Models are inputs, not answers

More data is not the same as a race forecast.

Raw model output still leaves your team to decide which run matters, reconcile conflicting guidance and account for local effects across the course. Offwatch Labs does that work before race day and turns it into one clear view of the likely sequence, uncertainty and alternatives.

01

Read the synoptic driver

Pressure pattern, air mass and large-scale evolution establish what can develop across the race day.

02

Resolve the local picture

High-resolution guidance reveals thermal effects, terrain influence, channels, convergence and race-area gradients.

03

Compare, do not cherry-pick

Model spread, timing and known biases are weighed together. Confidence is stated, not hidden.

04

Apply navigator judgement

Numbers become a usable sequence, visual indicators, geographic effects and alternative scenarios for the race team.

Forecast model libraryVenue dependent
Synoptic
ECMWFGFS / NOAAICONUKMOARPEGEGEMand more
Local high-res
AROMEWRFALADINHARMONIEICON-D2ICON 2Iand more
Ocean
CurrentSea-surface temperatureSea stateWind chop
One joined-up view.The mix is selected around the venue and data availability, not a fixed global template.
Inside your forecast

One briefing the whole team can use.

Built around your venue, course areas and racing window. Detailed enough for the navigator to plan from, clear enough to brief the tactician, coach and crew.

Synoptic situation

The pressure pattern, air mass, warnings and evolution that set the limits for the local forecast.

Hourly wind sequence

Expected direction, strength, gusts and trends through the racing window, with ranges where uncertainty matters.

Race-area differences

Separate analysis for multiple course areas, additional comparison zones or key points of interest.

Model comparison

Meteograms and high-resolution wind fields reveal consensus, disagreement, timing changes and confidence.

Visual and geographic clues

Cloud, shoreline, terrain and thermal indicators your team can identify and use while racing.

Scenarios and outlook

The most likely development, credible alternatives and what to watch for, plus a next-day outlook where relevant.

How it works

Built around your racecourse.

Best suited to inshore racing, from windward-leeward courses to coastal races, and from dinghies to superyachts. We configure the forecast around the decisions your team is likely to face, not around a generic location.

01 / BRIEF

Share the event details

Regatta, venue, dates, local racing window, likely course areas and specific team questions.

02 / CONFIGURE

Map the race environment

We define the synoptic domain, race areas, comparison points and best available model suite.

03 / INTERPRET

Build the forecast

Guidance is compared, local effects are assessed, and the likely sequence and alternatives are interpreted and written by racing navigators.

04 / DELIVER

Brief the whole team

You receive a clear PDF designed to support the navigator, tactician, coach and crew.

The human judgement

Interpreted and written by racing navigators.

Every forecast is written by navigators experienced in producing daily forecasts for training and racing, and in competing globally across boats from dinghies to superyachts.

Lead forecasting specialist

Marcel Korte

Marcel leads the forecasting: meteorological analysis, model comparison and the interpretation of local weather effects. His racing experience includes being part of the Rolex Giraglia-winning team and sailing with Black Jack when the team set the Palermo-Montecarlo course record in 2024.

Founder, Offwatch Labs / Offshore navigator

Joshua Weber

Joshua has 15+ years in sailing and 6+ years as a navigator. He was navigation lead for wins at Copa del Rey, the Rolex Giraglia and the Rolex Middle Sea Race. He turns complex guidance into racecourse priorities, visual cues and scenarios teams can use under pressure.

40+ years of combined racing experience behind the forecasting process.Drawn from years of daily forecasting and racing worldwide, from dinghies to superyachts.
Flexible scope

The right forecast for the days that matter.

Book a single race day, a full regatta or tailored campaign support. The scope is matched to your venue, schedule and available model coverage.

Focused

Single race day

A complete forecast for the day that matters, built around the local start and racing window.

Tailored

Campaign support

A forecast rhythm and geographic scope shaped around the wider programme and its priority events.

Questions

Before you book.

Tell us where and when you are racing. We will confirm the right scope, available data and delivery plan for your event.

Why not just use a weather app?
Weather apps provide useful model output. The Offwatch forecast saves your team the work of comparing runs, resolving timing differences, assessing local effects and turning the result into an agreed race-day outlook.
Which regattas and venues can you cover?
We can assess coverage for any regatta or venue worldwide. The model mix changes by region, and the forecast is configured around the best available global, local, current and sea-state guidance for your race area.
Will you use all 110+ model options?
No, and that is the point. Broad model access allows us to select the global, local, current and sea-state guidance that is relevant and available for your venue. The value comes from comparison and interpretation, not the model count.
When will we receive the forecast?
Delivery is agreed around the race schedule and the latest useful model updates. We confirm the timing before you book.
Is it only for the navigator?
The detail supports the navigator, while the structure makes it easy to brief the tactician, coach and crew. The aim is one crew-ready briefing rather than several people interpreting different apps.
What format do we receive?
You receive a crew-ready PDF combining written interpretation, hourly tables, model comparisons, maps, confidence, alternative scenarios and relevant supporting data.
Are current and ocean conditions included?
Where relevant and supported by suitable model data, the forecast can include current, sea-surface temperature and sea-state guidance.
Does the forecast replace onboard judgement?
No. Weather is inherently uncertain. The forecast is advisory decision support and does not replace the skipper's, navigator's or tactician's assessment on the water.
Make the race day count

Arrive at the start with one shared weather picture.

Send us the venue, race dates and expected racing window. We will check the available model coverage, recommend the right scope and confirm the delivery schedule before you commit.

Check forecast availability

Forecasts are advisory. Racing, navigational and safety decisions remain with the skipper and person in charge.