[Omatako]

Has anybody used this programme and actually put the results of the predictions to the test?

I have used it for a little while now but really just as a what-if tool for fun more than for any real purpose. Now I find myself planning a significant voyage and I start to wonder whether the predictions are any good.

Not that I have any reason to believe they're not. It's just that on my last ocean crossing I used an Admiralty routing chart for info and weather predictions and the information on the chart was not correct at any time throughout the entire 6500nm voyage.

The voyage I may be contemplating is somewhat hazardous and is VERY weather dependant and the sources of weather data in the area are a little thin on the ground. And the predictions I'm getting appear too good to be true.

I wonder whether the wind and current data on VPP is derived by data supplied from the British Admiralty. It could be NOAA. I then get to wondering why it would be any better/worse.

So . . . does anyone believe the stuff that VPP tells them - more importantly, do you have good reason to believe?

 

[svsirius]

Ask the question on the SSCA board. I know there are some users there and several have crossed more than one ocean using it. Also there is an existing thread on this topic so do a search.

 

[sailingdog]

I've got some friends who swear by VPP2. I'd point out that the historical data it is based on is just that, historical data, and while it may be accurate a majority of the time, it isn't always the case.