During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, many mariners sailing across the world’s oceans were impacted. The Ocean Cruising Club(OCC) for one, had sailing yachts affected by border closings and had to reroute across the Atlantic ahead of the Caribbean’s traditional hurricane season. In an epic Atlantic crossing, PredictWind’s Offshore App helped deliver over 90 OCC yachts to safety.
Most of the fleet had shore-side support while at sea, utilizing the PredictWind Offshore App with the Iridium GO!® to help safely make the crossing. Others had Iridium® satellite phones connected to their on-board computers running the App. The PredictWind Offshore App helped guide skippers on where to sail in relation to weather and enabled them to see the positions of their fellow fleet members and communicate with them over the Iridium satellite network.
The PredictWind Offshore App enabled the vessels to tap into highly detailed weather routes and forecasts, avoid potentially dangerous weather and catch supporting winds. Each update from the App provided a weather routing analysis and a snapshot of wind strengths, gusts, and waves. The Iridium GO! provided a critical safety feature for the fleet and shore-side support to track the boats and redirect or assist as needed. The safest and most efficient route took them far north, and once the fleet reached the northern iceberg belt, PredictWind also provided important information about weather forecasts.
“It’s been a challenging year for everyone, and this is another example of how Iridium and our partners have helped our customers navigate these unprecedented times,” said Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Iridium. “Connectivity has never been more important, and we’re proud that the PredictWind App paired with the Iridium GO! helped members of the Ocean Cruising Club get home safely.”