Better weather forecasts. Better routing.

July 25, 2024 • 3 min read

New weather models and routing upgrades make planning easier and more accurate.

Planning a boat trip can be challenging, and the longer it is, the more planning needs to be done. A big difference between a boat trip and other trips is how dependent boating is on the weather. Bad weather can make the difference between an enjoyable experience at sea and a very challenging one – so keeping track of the weather forecast and creating an accurate route is incredibly valuable.

Orca’s weather forecasts and routing are helpful tools for planning your trips more easily and efficiently. Two weeks ago, the weather forecast experience received a big update. This week, routing is getting a massive update that allows you to plan trips with greater accuracy and boat further than ever.

Introducing new weather models for sail routing

Sail routing depends on meteorological models that predict how the weather, wind, and waves will be in the future. Until now, Orca has been using the global ECMWF model which is widely regarded as the gold standard in global weather forecasting.

However, global weather models require incredible processing to calculate, and sacrifice granularity to deliver global coverage. Because of this limitation, several meteorological offices produce regional models that deliver better granularity and accuracy than the global models.

This week’s update makes Orca’s sail routing run on ICON-EU and ICON-D2 from the Deutscher Wetterdienst. These regional models provide high-resolution high-accuracy weather forecasts for European waters. On top of this, the forecast window for the ECMWF global model has been extended from 5 days to 10 days, letting you plan multi-day voyages further into the future.

ICON-EU and ICON-D2 cover Europe with their high-accuracy data. ECWMF covers the rest of the world.

The models update at different rates and have different granularities. Here is how they compare:

The weather models give different data intervals and update at different rates.

On top of model upgrades, Orca’s routing system has been upgraded to handle even longer routes. In the past, Orca was able to find routes up to 500 NM. This has now been improved to 1300 NM. With these updates, Orca’s routing can help you do highly accurate long-distance planning.

The routing upgrades are available via the Orca Smart Navigation plan. Orca Plus subscribers and free users retain their existing routing experience. Here is a breakdown of the differences:

The Smart Navigation plan gives access to the most accurate and powerful routing experience.

What are the advantages of regional weather models?

ICON-EU and ICON-D2 cover smaller areas than ECWMF, and because of this, they can deliver forecasts at a much finer scale than global models. They capture local weather phenomena that larger-scale models might miss, such as sea breezes, coastal effects, and topographical influences on wind patterns. This is particularly valuable in areas with complex coastlines, islands, or large elevation changes near the coast.

ICON-EU and ICON-D2 are also updated more often than ECWMF, giving you the most updated weather information available. Combined with Orca’s Automatic Rerouting, it means your route is always up-to-date with the latest weather situation.

What happens if I route outside the regional weather model coverage?

When sailing in European waters, the system prioritizes the high-resolution ICON-EU and ICON-D2 models for their superior local accuracy. As you move into open waters or outside the coverage of these regional models, it smoothly transitions to the reliable global ECMWF forecast. 

Get a better boating experience today

These new routing upgrades make planning trips with Orca even more accurate than before. If you want the very best routing experience, upgrade to the Smart Navigation plan. You can do that from the Orca App via Main Menu > Account Settings > Account Details.

Orca Display 2 is a navigation system for the modern boater.

By the way, one year of Smart Navigation is included for free with the purchase of an Orca Core 2 or Orca Display 2. If you are looking for a modern upgrade for your boat, visit the Orca Online Store to get yours today. All Orca devices are delivered with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and free express shipping.