WRI and the World Cruising Club
Brian Whitley, Operations Manager
Weather Routing Inc. has been in business for more than 60 years now and in that time we have grown considerably. You may be aware that WRI provides forecasting assistance for both pleasure and commercial interests, and that we also have various other marine forecasting interests. Over the years, WRI has worked with numerous companies/entities to provide forecasting and routing assistance. One of our longest active partnerships is with the World Cruising Club (WCC), who offers numerous opportunities for ocean-going sailors to partner up for rallies to help them with logistics, safety, and social activities. We asked our friends at the WCC if they could provide us with a few words that describe our relationship and below is what we received from them.
The WCC Rally Fleet leaving port.
One of the most important factors for a successful ocean crossing is the weather, and while sailors can’t change the wind and waves, the right information means better decision making to improve safety, comfort and passage time. World Cruising Club has worked with WRI for the last 15 years to deliver daily sea area forecasts to boats taking part in their rallies.
“While improved communications mean that sailors have ever-more access to information, the daily forecasts from WRI are designed to be accessible to all of our participants”, said World Cruising Club’s Paul Tetlow. “Designed for low bandwidth, the rally WRI forecasts mean that even boats using SSB can benefit from a 24-hour forecast and 24-hour outlook.”
The World Cruising Club story started in 1986 when the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) set sail from Las Palmas, bound across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Jimmy Cornell’s vision was to create an event run for the fun of taking part that would increase safety and enhance confidence. Those first 209 yachts have been followed by over 7,000 others, as what started out as a one-off event has run every year since.
World Cruising Club now supports around 400 boats and over 2,000 people every year to sail across the Atlantic east-to-west in the ARC and ARC+ rallies, in ARC Europe that crosses from the Caribbean to Europe via Bermuda and the Azores, and the 26,000NM World ARC circumnavigation.
Paul and Suzana Tetlow (front and center) with the WCC Yellow Shirt team.
WRI provides a broader forecast via a grid format to the WCC rally participants compared to forecasts that would be tailored for individual vessels, but we do offer guidance in terms of finding better winds and/or areas to avoid as well as any tropical concerns. Fortunately, the WCC Rallies themselves are generally scheduled in a way that significantly reduces concerns with respect to the tropics.
WRI can also act as somewhat of a bonus/informal DPA. In March of 2023, during a World ARC Rally leg in the SE Pacific, a sailor suffered a medical emergency while far from land. The World ARC Fleet was notified of the situation by the WCC and it was noted that the motor yacht "Paladin" was nearby. Unfortunately, no one had been able to communicate with the yacht. WRI Operations Manager Alex Avalos read the email from the WCC about the emergency and recognized that Paladin was a client of ours. Alex immediately called the captain of the Paladin to let him know of the situation. The yacht immediately changed course, increased speed, rendezvoused with the sailboat, and evacuated the stricken sailor. They then proceeded as rapidly as they could to the nearest land/hospital and safely disembarked the sailor. We're happy to report that due to the tremendous efforts of the sailing vessel crew and the captain/crew of the Paladin, this the person was able to make a recovery and was discharged from the hospital within a week. This was a point of great pride at WRI that we were able to play a small role in the positive outcome.
WRI values and enjoys our relationship with the WCC and their team of 'Yellow Shirts" and we look forward to many more years of helping the WCC with getting their fleets of sailors safely across the oceans!
