Originally, the plan was to sail pretty close to a rhumb line through the northern Nicobar islands- something like the yellow track above. Prior to departure, Jamie spent time using routing tools in the PredictWind app to analyze our plan and found valuable insights that prompted us to adjust our route. We used the PredictWind Offshore App on a Windows laptop, with a Pro level subscription. Once we had that worked out, the rest was uncomplicated: Jamie mounted the external antenna on the top of our solar arch, and ran the cable back through the conduit already in place for our SilentWind turbine and solar panels. The hardest part of the install was deciding where to put the base unit. For the most part, these apps are tablet or smartphone based, but PredictWind works with the Iridium on a computer – and I want to be able to see and work with weather info on my bigger screen, not just a mobile one. It’s more complicated than that, because applications must be specifically designed for Iridium GO! to work with the unit. That’s actually very important: there’s a misconception that the GO! is like having a satellite based wifi-hotspot with you. We’ve used PredictWind for years on Totem, and they have apps designed specifically for working with an Iridium GO!. To solve our weather dilemma, for us the best solution is a combination of PredictWind and the Iridium GO!. Sailmail or Winlink, it didn’t seem to matter- both had issues with station access from that corner of the world. It was also difficult for boats heading into the Atlantic after rounding the Cape. South Africa has radio nets and hams, but connecting to the land stations for boats coming in from the east was a struggle. We don’t want to be without current weather data anywhere in the world, but if we had to pick spots we’re especially keen to have weather info on demand- it’s off southern Africa. The waters around the south end of Africa are famous for monstrous wind and wave events. What changed?īut this past year, paying close attention to the progress of boats along our intended route in the Indian Ocean, we were dismayed to hear how much trouble they were having connecting to land-based stations for the purpose of receiving updated weather data over PACTOR modems- to the point that we know radio-centric boats that relied upon sailing in company with those carrying satellite based systems on board so that they could to receive updated weather forecasts. Since we started cruising in 2008 we've relied solely on our HF radio for long distance communications: it has met our needs, we value the community of an informal radio net at sea, and we are grateful the safety net of land-based hams such as the awesome Pacific Seafarers Net. This was somewhat unexpected because Totem has long been a radio centric boat. Not long before leaving Malaysia, we purchased an Iridium GO!. It has since been updated with the benefit of a full year of use, across the Indian Ocean. Note: this post was written after our first passage with the Iridium GO! in conjunction with PredictWind's Offshore App.
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