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Testimonials

Yacht Racing
Brad Butterworth America's Cup: 2007 Winner, Alinghi 2003 Winner, Alinghi 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, Winner, Alinghi 2000 Winner, Team New Zealand 1995 Winner, Team New Zealand 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup, finalist, New Zealand Challenge 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup, finalist, KZ7 Whitbread Round The World: 1993/1994 Winston 1989/1990 Winner, Steinlager II " Alinghi has used the same weather modeling technology as PredictWind offers, and it played an important role in winning the 2003/2007 America's Cup in both Auckland and Valencia. We have used it in regattas all around the world and have found the technology 'second to none'. I would highly recommend the PredictWind service to anyone wanting an accurate and reliable wind forecast. "
Peter Isler - Navigator Two-time America's Cup Winner, Stars & Stripes Navigator. Top-ranked US skipper on the Professional Match Racing Circuit for five years Intercollegiate Sailor of the Year (Yale U.) World Champion, Ericsson 80 Maxi Class Newport to Bermuda Race Winner Pacific Cup (SF - Hawaii) Winner Pineapple Cup winner (FL - Jamaica) - record holder Transpacific Yacht Race winner (LA - Honolulu) - record holder Marblehead to Halifax Race Winner U.S. Team Race Champion " With a college degree in meteorology and a long career racing sailboats, I appreciate the importance, and challenge in getting weather predictions that "work". Having spent the last eight years working closely in the development of Expedition software, I have become a real connoisseur of weather models and their digital output - the GRIB file - which enables the user to visualize the changing weather and perform weather routing. Although there are some great sources on the Internet for GRIB output from wide mesh global models, GRIBs from good fine scale weather models that show the kind of detail that we sailboat racers crave are few and far between. Enter PredictWind.com. With the click of a mouse you can obtain weather predictions from high resolution weather models. This summer I've been trying out PredictWind.com's models in races across Europe and the US and although initially skeptical, I have been very impressed, and now count a trip to the PredictWind.com web site as a regular part of my pre-race prep... no matter whether I'm buoy racing in San Francisco Bay or sailing in an offshore race across the Baltic Sea. The information is well presented and easily managed. Any meteorologist (or sailor for that matter) knows that weather models have their limitations and are never 100% accurate. But there is no question that they can provide valuable information that can help sailboat racers make a better decision out on the race course. "
Ray Davies - Tactician 2nd 1997 Whitbread onboard Merit 1st 2001 Volvo Ocean Race onboard Illbruck Admirals Cup winner 1st Breitling Medcup 2006 Medcup on Mean Machine 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup Winner with Team New Zealand 1st 2009 LV Pacific Series PredictWind is a great tool for all serious sailors, I like the clean visual layout the software provides, this helps to paint a clear picture in your mind of how the forecast is expected to play out. Also being so simple to use you don't need much time to log in and check the forecasts prior to dockstart. When on the circuit I like to use PredictWind in conjunction with a professional forecaster to try cover all the bases. I also have Takapuna plugged in as a favorite for my moth sailing, it's nice to have confidence as to when its going to be on!
Ed Adams 2 x Rolex Sailor of the Year Test Manager/Navigator Young America Syndicate US Sailing Team Coach: Olympic Gold and 2 World Championships Over 20 World or North American Championships, including Star Worlds "In my current role as a professional sailing coach, I have found the PredictWind models to be very helpful in predicting local seabreezes. By using the GRIB files, you can sometimes see a twist in the wind direction from top to bottom, or pressure differences from right to left. On days when these features persist through all the relevant time steps of the GRIB, they are often realized on the race course. And if you play them correctly, it can make a big difference in your race result."
Andrew Cape - Navigator Andrew Cape is one of Australia’s most talented and experienced sailors and navigators. He has sailed four Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Races, most recently aboard Puma Racing and then Ericsson in the 2005-2006 race, and Movistar and competed as navigator with winning America’s Cup team Alinghi. He has raced both double-handed and single, competing in the Mini Transat 1999 and the Mini Fastnet which he went on to win. In addition to these achievements he finished second in the Barcelona World Race. “We have been religiously using the 1km model at every stopover for the Volvo Ocean Race and are very happy with the results. Certainly the best tool we have for predicting the major trends and the most accurate of the models available - so great work”
Ian Moore - Navigator Green Dragon Racing Team - Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09 Emirates Team NZ 2007 Americas Cup 1st Volvo Ocean Race 2001/02 - Illbruck 1st TP52 Quantum Racing 2008 Medcup TP52 Patches 2007 - 3rd Medcup, 1st Global Championships 2006 Transpac and Bermuda Race 1st - Morning Glory " I only started using PredictWind.com this season, but I have now used it in all the venues of the TP 52 Medcup with Quantum Racing and it has become an integral part of our daily preparation, and weekly planning. I used to trawl the internet for high resolution data as well as wider area models but PredictWind is a great one stop shop for all my weather needs. I highly recommend it. "
Rod Dawson - Tactician 2000-2003 Americas Cup One World Challenge - Weather Strategist 2003-2007 Americas Cup BMW Oracle Weather Strategist 2007/08 Tactician Team German TP52 Platoon - Tactician 2008 NZ Laser National Champion 3 Times World Match Racing Tour Champion " This year I have been using Predict Wind on a daily basis on the TP52 circuit and other racing I have done, not only in Europe but other parts of the world. On a daily basis I use PredictWind to support a meteorologist's forecast, finding it to be a great tool for preparing for the day's racing. I really like the forecast maps to help "paint the picture" of the day. Most important of all, the outputs from PredictWind have proved incredibly accurate throughout the season. I am happy to recommend it to anyone. "
Roger Nilson - Navigator Roger Nilson, who has been announced as a navigator with the Telefonica team for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09, it will be his seventh lap of the course and eighth circumnavigation in all. The other was aboard Orange II for the Jules Verne Trophy in 2005. Roger Nilson, made his debut in the Whitbread in 1981-82 aboard Alsaka Eagle. His most recent race was the 2001-02 Volvo aboard Amer Sports One. Telefonica Black - "During our buildup for the Volvo Ocean race, I have been looking at a few weather models, and evaluating their accuracy. I have been working with PredictWind for the last 3 months and have found the high resolution forecasts very useful. I would highly recommend these forecasts to all sailors - racing or cruising!"
Wouter Verbraak - Navigator Wouter Verbraak has more than 14 years of navigation/weather routing experience from races such as Admirals Cup, Volvo Ocean and Volvo Baltic Race, Tour de France, Commodore's Cup, Fastnet and Cowes week. Team Russia - Volvo Ocean Race 2008/09 Oryx Quest 2005 Middle Sea Race 2004 Tour de France 2004 Volvo Baltic Race 2003 + 2004 Vendee Globe Olympics 2000 + 2004 " PredictWind is the weather tool any sailing team is dreaming of: reliable, easy to use, and most importantly extremely accurate! "
Nick White Expedition - development of this racing/weather routing software Former Air Force meteorologist Winner 1993/4 Whitbread America's Cup meteorologist Volvo Ocean race navigator Winner of multiple Fastnet, Transpac, Pineapple Cup, Mackinac, Rolex Big Boat and numerous other regattas. " As navigator in some of the world's great races and as a former air force meteorologist, weather forecasts have been a crucial part of my life for as long as I can remember. Weather data used to only be available to government agencies and then of dubious quality. As the years pass by however, it gets noticeably better and more easily available. I have just started using PredictWind this year and it has been the best forecast model for our races by a large margin. In fact, I liked it so much I integrated it into Expedition to make it even easier to use! "
Will Oxley - Navigator 12 Sydney - Hobart Races 3 Melbourne - Osaka Double Handed Races 2000-01 BT Global Challenge Skipper Compaq NonStop 2nd place. 2002-03 Americas Cup Weather Team Coordinator Victory Challenge 2005 Oryx Quest Non-Stop Round the World Race 1st 2005-06 Volvo Navigator Brunel 2007 Marblehead - Halifax 1st 2007 Giraglia Cup 1st 2007 Rolex Maxi Cup, Alfa Romeo 2009 Newport - Bermuda, Blue Yankee 2008-09 Volvo Navigation & Weather Support, Puma Ocean Racing "Having used many of the commercial offerings from a variety of weather companies I was initially skeptical that PredictWind would prove to be worthwhile. However I am happy to say that I have been proved VERY wrong. I have now used PW all over the world. I find that PredictWind's fine scale models typically do an excellent job of dealing with local topographic effects and predicting the onset of local sea and land breezes. These are the fine details that we are actually interested in as sailors and the global models are just too coarse to pick up these subtleties. Most recently I have completed the Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island Race Weeks in Australia. I have been racing in the Whitsunday's for 20 years and the myriad of high islands make fine scale weather prediction quite difficult. The CMC model consistently did a great job of predicting the onset of the sea breeze and dealt very well with predicting the wind holes in the lee of islands and the wrapping of winds around islands. I was VERY impressed and PredictWind provided me with the most accurate forecasting I have had in my 20 years of racing in the Whitsundays."
Marc Lagasse - Navigator 2003-2007 Americas Cup, Shosholoza - Navigator 2007/08 United Internet Team Germany - Navigator 2007/08 TP52 Platoon - Navigator 2008 TP 52 Worlds – 3rd 2008 Sardinia Cup - 2nd 2007 Maxi Cup - 2nd " I have been using the PredictWind's 1km High Resolution Model since it's inception. I have no problem recommending it to any serious sailor as I find it extremely reliable and accurate. The fact that you get two models for comparison, allows you to make calls with confidence. PredictWind's 1km Model seems to be unusually accurate with regards to the geographical features of any venue. An update email and the fact the PredictWind interfaces seamlessly with Expedition Tactical Software has the added benefit of always having the latest weather data right there on your display. Highly recommended!"
Scott Walton - Tactician/Navigator Australian Farr 40 / Sydney 38 circuit - Tactician Tour de France a la Voile – Tactician Australian offshore regattas (Hamilton Island, Rolex, Savilles, Skandia, etc) – Navigator R/P66 “Black Jack” "I was really impressed with the service. It was intuitive, easy to use, accurate and the different options for sorting the data was great. In conjunction with Version 6 of Expedition it worked extremely well."
David Adams - Race Director/Coach Master Mariner Class 1 Competitor BOC Challenge solo round the world yacht race 1990-91 and 1994-95 (winner Class II) Joint Race Director 2000 The Race round the world yacht race Race Director 2005-6 Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world race Race Director 2010-11 Velux 5 Oceans solo round the world race Southern Ocean Safety Consultant Vendee Globe 2004 and 2008 Coach 2004 Australian Olympic Team (Yngling) Athens Coach 2000-8 Youth Match Racing Program Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron " I have been looking for a weather program I could trust in the various roles I have - from trans-ocean to round the buoys all over the world - and PredictWind is now filling that role. I was skeptical at the start but have grown in confidence the more I use it. The usual problems of ocean/land interface seem to be a thing of the past. I have used it in several Australian ports lately in my coaching role and it has proved a valuable tool. We are currently evaluating the program to use with the Eco 60's in the Velux 5 Oceans 2010-11 yacht race and will be using it while watching the Vendee Globe race as the competitors sail through the southern ocean this year. "
One Design
Matthew Chew 1st 2009 Etchell World Championship Crew: Jason Muir Matthew Chew Paul Wyatt Bucky Smith "Our team used PredictWind to assist us through the tricky 2009 Etchell world championships. The two independent PredictWind models came into their own in the light variable sea breeze days when often one model would nail the situation compared to our other data sources. The PredictWind 'maps' feature gave me a great understanding of the developing wind on each day and we were hardly taken by surprise by any situation. PredictWind's models played a huge role in our first beat strategy and coupled with great fleet positioning saw us correctly up the first beat in every race without taking any risks. We were top 10-15 around every top mark. This set up each of our top 10 finishes in every race. "
Simon Cunnington 2nd 2009 Etchell World Championships 95 America's Cup 93-94 Whitbread Race 11 Sydney Hobart's 6 Farr 40 World Championships "In the lead up to 2009 Etchell Worlds we sought a more localised and concise form of weather forecast, and we decided on PredictWind after an initial test period. The 1km weather model downloads were a daily part of our race preparation, and we found the accuracy of the text files invaluable, you are not bombarded with excessive information and have clear options to help with race strategy for that day"
Karl Purdie 1st 2010 OK Worlds 2nd 2009 OK Worlds 1st 2008 OK Worlds 3rd 2007 OK Worlds 5th 2006 OK Worlds "PredictWind without a word of a lie was absolutely fantastic! It was incredibly accurate here and very instrumental in how well I went. I tuned in every morning to it and it gave me a lot of confidence in picking which side of the beats to work in every race."
Hamish Pepper 1996 Match Racing World Champion 2000 Match Racing World Champion 2003 Mumm 30 World Champion 2005 Farr 40 World Champion 2006 Star World Champion 2nd 2009 Star World Championships 1st ISAF World Rankings Laser 1996 1st ISAF World Rankings Star 2007 "If you're the serious sailor or just racing for fun, you require a good weather forecast. I have started using PredictWind for all my racing this season and it has proven time and time again to be very accurate. I find PredictWind as good if not better than any weather service out there. Its easy to use and visually easy to understand."
Yacht Cruising
Neil Schlossberg Swan 48 Trumpeter Working professionally on yachts since 1972 USCG Merchant Officer since 1977 Private, Charter and delivery Captain since 1977 Cruising South Pacific since 1987 including 19 return trips New Zealand-Fiji, 2 return trips Australia-Fiji on Trumpeter Numerous deliveries between Tahiti-New Zealand and Fiji-New Zealand " If there is one thing that is consistently on cruisers mind that would be weather. Most cruisers have their sources to obtain this but I have never seen one site so all encompassing as PredictWind. The speed and ease to extract different types of information from PredictWind ranks it well above any source I have ever used. My personal favorite is getting wind speed and direction hourly in text format. No more squinting at wind barbs with a magnifying glass! I have found it to be extremely accurate this year in Fiji and it has become a morning and afternoon ritual log in. I highly recommend PredictWind to anyone seriously interested in the most accurate weather forecasts available. "
Luiz Schechter Cruising and racing in Brazil and South America since 1969. Captain license since 1982, engineer since 1983. Former board member Yacht Club Ypacarai - ISAF MNA - Paraguay Cruising the Brazilian coast with the 27 ft Trimaran "Lara S" " My family spent vocations in Buzios, an area known for its beautiful beaches, but also for its strong winds. We used PredictWind to pick the best days for sailing and never had a surprise. It removed the element of uncertainty and provided the peace of mind I could never have in that area. Afterwards we anticipated the departure to Rio by two days following PredictWind's five day forecast. What a great tool! We enjoyed 13 hours of pure sailing pleasure and used the engine only for the last miles. Needless to say, conditions were adverse the next days... as predicted. The animated display, with timed maps using colors for expected wind speed range and arrows for expected wind direction, is perfect for optimal route planning and departure timing. Detailed and reliable weather information improves safety, speed, cost and FUN! One thing I can predict: sailors will become addicted to this tool."
Powerboats
Robbie Wallace Owner of Horizon Navigation, a yacht and commercial vessel delivery service, Robbie Wallace has accumulated more than 370,000 miles of offshore experience. He currently holds a US 1600 ton Masters license for Motor or Sail, All Oceans, with associated endorsements and STCW95. Also an acclaimed navigator on racing yachts Robbie has sailed 13 Transpacs from 1975 to 2007 including navigating aboard Andrews Turbo 70 Victoria, Andrews Turbo 70 Magnitude, SC 70 Mongoose, Petersen 68 Cheetah, the Transpac 52 J-Bird III, Andrews 56 Medicine Man SC70 Skylark and Kernan 70 Peligroso. " As a former yacht racing navigator for 35 years, the process of obtaining precise wind information has always been at the core of my planning and execution, of course. Now, as a professional Captain aboard large motor yachts, I am often frustrated with the minimal wind information available in the wheelhouse. Mast Head Units are typically mounted between two communication domes or radar scanners, for example! Sure, on a motor yacht at sea we don't need to know subtle wind shifts, but it is still extremely important to me to know wind speed and direction as accurately as possible, especially on a black night. I have always planned my passages using the usual Internet sites for GRIBS and buoy data, but now with PredictWind.com, I have for the first time the ability to view High Resolution Local information accessible during the voyage. Do I continue down the Rhumb Line or should I close with the beach because a hard offshore is predicted at 0200? With PredictWind.com these decisions are now much easier! It's almost like having a new wind instrument on the bridge! "
Stu Sanders " I have been fizz boating for forty years and have a healthy respect for the sea and variable conditions. My main concern is always the weather, not the temperature or rain just the wind. My minimum planning speed is 25 knots I don’t want to be caught out in strong wind and wave conditions with 4 tons bouncing out of the water. I am now using Predict Wind as my main source of information before every trip and have been impressed with the high percentage of accuracy. "
World Speed Records
Macquarie Speed Sailing Team 2010 World Sailing Speed Record (C class) - 50.08 knots Since commencing our World Record attempt in October 2008, we have been fortunate enough to have access to the PredictWind website and the PredictWind Professional services associated with this site. For three months while on World Record standby, we have been analysing the PredictWind output and comparing it to other web based competitors producing forecasts for the Shallow Inlet region. While initially sceptical about PredictWind's capacity to deliver on its promised accuracy, the facts are indisputable and lead us to confidently state that there is no better web based weather prediction service available for our location. The design of our craft, Macquarie Innovation (MI), is directed towards maximum efficiency and high speed. It is capable of achieving speeds over 50 knots in winds of less than 20 knots. Even in 15 knots of wind it has averaged over 45 knots along the 500m course. But in 12 -14 knot winds, MI will struggle to exceed 6 knots and calling the team in to have them watch a speed sailing craft sail at 6 knots is not conducive to good morale ! As a result, weather prediction accuracy takes on a new significance when confronted with such extreme performance outcomes. It is vital to the performance of our team and craft that we know in advance the expected wind speed to within a few knots and the wind direction to within several degrees of what is actually experienced. Having confidence in the weather forecast enables the team to function more efficiently, reducing the number of days spent waiting on the beach with no wind as well as eliminating the most dreaded of days when the wind arrives and no-one is on site to make use of it ! In the past, these detailed accuracy demands have been challenging for other web based forecasting services to provide. With the arrival of PredictWind, this is no longer the case. PredictWind services now play a vital role within our weather forecasting armoury and we never make an assessment on the weather, without consulting the numerous PredictWind resources. In a contest like ours where accuracy and precision are often the difference between success and failure, it is comforting to know that we share with companies like PredictWind, a common vision - to be the best in the world.
Wind Surfing
Sam Sills Under 17 World Champion 2009 Under 17 European Champion 2009 UK Windsurfer of the year 2009 Under 17 Med Cup Winner 2009 Under 17 NorthSea Cup 1st 2009 " Nothing compares close to PredictWind! Usually it's perfect with even the smallest wind shifts. I found this really useful during the world championships in Weymouth, August 2009. It super important not to get stuck on the wrong side of the fleet, as it was so big! thanks so much PredictWind!"
Luke Wigglesworth New Zealand 1st Place( 43.8 Knots) GPS-Speedsurfing.com Windsurfing Best Speed 45.5 Knots Kite Speed Best Speed 47.8 knots " When searching wind forecasts, at locations for Kiting or Windsurfing, PredictWind is definitely on the money. It has been spot on at Port Waikato for the three 40 knots blasts we had over winter and was on the hour for the 50 knots blast at Mangawhai Heads we had late August. PredictWind has given us great confidence that we are at the right location, at the right time for the best winds. It has the wind direction before and after the cold fronts almost perfect. Predict Wind has definitely helped us this year obtain great boat speeds results. Even in Sopot - Poland, this July for the World Windsurfing Techno Championships, PredictWind was incredibly accurate, which gave us a great heads up for the wind directions during the day. "
Grant Beck 2008 Olympic Coach to Tom Ashley - Gold Medalist Weather Strategist for Emirates Team NZ 2007 Americas Cup 2000 Olympic Coach to Barbara Kendall Bronze Medalist / Coach to Aaron McIntosh Bronze Medalist 1996 Olympic Coach to Barbara Kendall Silver Medalist 1992 Olympic Coach to Barbara Kendall Gold Medalist 1988 Olympic Coach to Bruce Kendall Gold Medalist 1984 Olympic Coach to Bruce Kendall Bronze Medalist " I have been using Predict Wind now since early 2008 to assist me for in supporting a number of the classes I have been coaching at regattas all around the world. It has been a great tool to use and I shall be using it regularly in the future. "
Kite Surfing
Dave Robertson 2004 - 1st Windsurfing Youth World Champion 2007/8 - Coach of Thomas Ashley (Olympic Gold Medalist/World Champion) 2008 - 2nd 8.5 meter multi hull nationals 2008 - 3rd Downwind race kite surfing national championships 2008 - 9th Quarter finalist freestyle kite surfing national championships 2008 - 15th GPS speed website kiting rankings " As soon as PredictWind went online I have been hooked! It has been fantastic to have a website that covers all the top spots to ride and so accurately. I used to get so frustrated with wind predictions that were over forecasting and never delivering!! PredictWind has allowed us to score all the right spots at the right time in the last few months. Being able to access graphs that show all of my favourite beaches forecasts at once has made planning a great day on the water so easy, whether it be freestyle or speed kiting. "
Stefan Ruether http://Kitexcite.com " As a business owner of a Paragliding (Hang-gliding) and Kiteboarding (Kitesurfing) school in KiteBeach, Dominican Republic, and a keen paraglider and kite surfer myself, a reliable source of wind and weather forecasting is vital for my business and for my client's safety. Predictwind.com is the only reliable wind forecast for the Dominican Republic I came across. None of the other wind forecast services calculate the local thermal conditions, which effect the wind. Therefore, they tend to be 85% wrong, thus costing us and other Cabarete kite & windsurfing businesses a heavy loss. Good job, Jon! Keep up the good work! "