To learn more about Ocean-Pro Weather Routing services;
From 1993 till 2003 I/we offered long distance, blue water, "instructional deliveries" on 40-60 ft sailboats. By 1993, I had accumulated over 70,000 nautical miles at sea, on coastal and offshore passages, held a USCG 100 ton Masters license and was an ASA Coastal and Offshore sailing instructor. Looking around at the sailing instruction programs available at the time, I felt there was a clear need for more comprehensive, more rigorous, real world offshore sail training programs. Realizing the importance of instruction and the need for yacht deliveries, I conceived of our "instructional delivery" approach, developed a comprehensive training program and became its chief instructor. This very real-world offshore training program emphasized vessel preparation, offshore passage preparation, vessel & crew safety, sail handling, underway tasks, watch systems, day and night navigation, communications, weather forecast interpretation, route planning, heavy weather tactics, day and night landfall planning, customs and immigration procedures, etc. Over the ten year period from 1993 to 2003 over 500 aspiring blue water sailors enrolled in our program, each making one or more 500 to 2000 nm training passages. Over the ten year period we sailed a total of about 80,000 nautical miles. Many of the over 500 trainees already owned or then purchased boats of their own. Since then, some have crossed oceans and a few have completed world circumnavigations. Our web site still reflects this robust offshore sailing background and remains a reminder and tool for present blue water sailors. In 2003 I injured my back and was no longer up to the physical demands of offshore sailing. Wanting to stay close to the sailing business I decided to change the nature of the business from offering "instructional deliveries" to offering personalized weather and routing assistance for owners and skippers of yachts planning passages all around the world.
Since 2003 my Ocean-Pro Weather Routing program, oceans covered and client list have all grown tremendously. Ocean-Pro Weather now offers the full range of passage planning, passage weather forecasting, departure timing, near real time ocean current analysis, optimal routing and waypoints. We are assisting hundreds of yacht owners and skippers annually, in all oceans. For passage planning purposes we have excellent resources for the Caribbean, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as tropical weather monitoring, Gulf Stream and the major ocean currents & eddies. Owners and skippers participating in the various long distance rallys, sailing the popular world cruising routes as a group often take advantage of our services, including participants in the ARC Rally, Caribbean 1500, Baha HaHa and Pacific Puddle Jump, to name a few. I am gratified by the trust and confidence our weather routing clients have expressed and by their repeat business year after year. If you would like to try our passage weather and routering services, call or email us antime. I will be happy to discuss your passage plans and will be ready to share with you our weather and ocean resources and my seasoned passage and ocean routing advice for your passage. Be sure to visit our Global Weather Routing page and to visit our links above to our passage weather, communications, satellite, tropical ocean currents and bouy report pages.
Fair winds and safe sailing,
Capt. Bob Cook Weather Router, Webmaster
Naples, Florida USA
