Modern Marine Weather: From Time-honored Traditional Knowledge to the Latest Technology - Softcover

Burch, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0914025589 ISBN 13: 9780914025580

Publisher: Starpath Publications, 2018

Synopsis

A comprehensive text on how to take weather into account for the planning and navigation of voyages, local or global, using the latest technologies as well as the time-honored skills of maritime tradition, so that your time on the water remains as safe and efficient as possible. Covers practical applications of GRIB files, ASCAT wind measurements, and other modern resources.

About this title

About the Author:

David Burch is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation in London as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Navigation in Washington, DC, from which he received the Superior Achievement Award for outstanding performance as a practicing navigator. He has logged more than 70,000 miles at sea, including twelve transoceanic yacht races, with several first place victories and a passage record for boats under 36 feet that lasted 16 years. He also navigated the only American entry in the storm-ridden 1993 Sydney to Hobart Race. On the academic side, he is a former Fulbright Scholar with a PhD in physics. As Founding Director of Starpath School of Navigation in Seattle he has designed courses and taken part in the teaching of marine weather and navigation for more than 30 years. He continues to work on the development of online training materials, which are presented at starpath.com. Articles on special topics in navigation and weather appear at starpath.com/articles.

Review:

"Modern Marine Weather, 3rd ed, is the best summary of the state of the art that I have seen. A terrific book. It has leapt to the top of my list of references to recommend to sailors and navigators." --Stan Honey, Champion racing navigator.

"I teach Weather for sailors at Orange Coast College School of Sailing and Seamanship in Newport Beach, California. David Burch's "Modern Marine Weather" is one of my prime resources for my classes. I recommend that all my students read the book, and keep it for reference. The latest revision is very up to date on this latest technology in the constantly changing world of meteorology." --John Jourdane, Navigator, Meteorologist, and Whitbread Veteran.

Finally, at long last, the weather explained without the need to have a graduate degree in physics. On top of that, Modern Marine Weather, 3rd ed is extremely rich in guidance and examples regarding the practical application of weather knowledge and resources. Every skipper should read this book from cover to cover and then keep it handy in the nav station for frequent reference.-- David Gal, OpenSkiron.org and OpenGribs.org.

A great book. It will be my first pick when recommending a weather book.-- Will Oxley, author of Expedition Navigation Software: A "Gentle" Introduction and Modern Race Navigation: Expedition Software in Action

A thoughtfully and masterfully crafted work. It will be my prime recommendation of a book focusing specifically on the application of weather information and knowledge for maritime interests, whatever the size and purpose of the vessel. David thoroughly explores the essentials of meteorology, and does so in a fascinating manner. What makes Modern Marine Weather particularly valuable is the inclusion of countless applications of weather to actual situations faced by sailors or skippers on the water. Reading and absorbing these principles and applications will lead to safer, faster and more efficient passages.-- Jeff Renner, Meteorologist, King 5 TV, Seattle,WA

I have chosen this book as the definitive text for the wardroom of my U.S. Navy Destroyer. Superior explanations that are as useful for the professional naval officer as they are for the coastal pleasure cruiser or blue water sailor. Consistent with all of David Burch's texts: Easy to read, fascinating, and the absolute best resource.
-- CDR Tate Westbrook, former CO USS Spruance (DDG111).

No subject is more important to every sailor than the wind and its direction. Modern Marine Weather is first class reference book on the subject of marine weather and the information it contains will help every sailor, every day!
-- Peter Isler, two-time America's Cup winning navigator.

The 21st Century is bringing us a rapid evolution in weather information available to the common sailor. Modern Marine Weatherpoints out where to find the best stuff quickly. The book also gives a thorough review of how to read weather maps and digest storms warnings, as well as tips on how to read clouds and use the wind to win coastal yacht races, or how to interpret GRIB data and Scatterometer pilot charts on Google Earth to sail comfortably across an ocean.
--Bob McDavitt, MetService (NZ) Weather Ambassador and forecaster for EarthRace, the holder of the fastest ever circumnavigation by a powerboat.

"Modern Marine Weather is an instant classic. If you own one book about weather this is it. If you are navigating across the Pacific, the Atlantic or the Equator you'll make better decisions and truly understand the machinery behind the wind, waves, and currents after studying this book. If you are preparing for an Olympic regatta in Melbourne, Weymouth or San Francisco and want to make your own intelligent forecast and pick-up local knowledge like a local, you will find all the information in this most excellent book. Serious about weather and navigation: Get Modern Marine Weather by David Burch." --Philippe Kahn, technology innovator, CEO of FullPower Technologies, and champion racing sailor, holder of the Doublehanded Transpacific elapsed time record, and other worldclass achievements of his Pegasus Racing Team.

"David Burch's Modern Marine Weather is a fresh and practical guide to understanding the complexities of marine weather and modern forecasting. Directed at both offshore and coastal sailors, it goes beyond much of the current literature to first explain modern forecasting technologies with less emphasis on weather theory. According to Burch, it's only with an understanding of these technologies that mariners can purposefully apply the ever increasing amount of meteorological data available to them. Burch explains how to use weather charts and how to interpret GRIB forecasts--including a discussion of their values and drawbacks. He discusses how to compare various computer models, discusses new and existing onboard technology and record keeping, and provides comprehensive lists of weather resources, and much more. The book fills a serious void in the literature. Voyagers will profit from a serious study of the material discussed in this book." --Ocean Navigator Magazine

"Modern Marine Weather is an essential reference for the coastal and offshore sailor. It goes far beyond the traditional "marine weather" books. There may be new tools available for weather forecasting, but weather itself has been around a very long time and David does an excellent job of laying proper foundations for understanding marine weather, and bringing clarity to a complex topic." --Jim Corenman, racing and cruising sailor, and developer of the SailDocs and Sailmail programs for weather and communications used by thousands of mariners worldwide.

"This is the definitive text for those wanting to learn more about marine meteorology. It's a shame that this book wasn't around when I was studying marine meteorology. It would have made the job a lot easier. David Burch should be applauded for this beautiful piece of work"-- Kenn Batt, Manager, Canberra Meteorological Office, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, weather briefer for participants of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, and active racing sailor.

"Burch really knows his stuff and Blue Water Sailing thinks that his book has a place in every nav station."-- Blue Water Sailing magazine.

"Modern Marine Weather is a brand new and truly extraordinary treatise. The style is neither dry nor confusing. Burch has woven into his text of modern digital weather fascinating historical facts that many 21st Century mariners may not know... and summarized many in the section "Old Sayings Explained." Mariners young and old, get, keep and read Modern Marine Weather. It will take you, as it says it will, "from the time honored maritime traditions to the latest technology." You will be enriched along the way!" -- Roger Jones, Director, Foundation for the Promotion of the Art of Navigation, Powerboater, sailor, and pilot.

The problem with teaching marine weather is the same problem as celestial navigation: How do you demonstrate a three-dimensional concept so that the recipient can visualize it? A book on marine weather represents a daunting subject, but once again David Burch has delivered a book that can be managed by expert and novice alike.

The chapter "Strong Wind Systems" exemplifies Burch's pragmatic yet encyclopedic approach to difficult subjects. For the sailor who wants to take a few rules of thumb for execution on the water, Burch offers a set of 12 steps for managing squalls at sea. For the more advanced, he provides elaborate diagrams of cloud profiles, tables of percentages and a detailed description of how to better understand forecast modeling. The same is true of the chapter "Working with Weather Maps," which starts with a description on under-standing surface maps and then moves into a detailed description of 500-mb weather maps, which show characteristics of wind at about 18,000 feet.

Why is this important? Burch explains: "The ultimate wind we feel on the surface depends on what is taking place up here with these winds aloft: how fast it is, whether it is rising or sinking, whether it is diverging or converging, as well as which specific direction the flow is proceeding across the globe, and how this pattern might be changing with time."
Burch's particular genius is to convey how and why context matters in understanding and predicting weather conditions at sea. The third edition of Modern Marine Weather puts the latest information about marine weather forecasting at your fingertips.
--Twain Braden, Ocean Navigator Magazine, Nov/Dec 2018,

About this edition

• Publisher: Starpath Publications
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0914025589
• ISBN 13: 9780914025580
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 272