Grib Files
I am anxious for my class to start. To help pass the time I have been playing with grib files. GRIB stands for Gridded Information in Binary Form. A grib is basically a computer generated weather forecast file. The grib files I have been looking at contain wind and temperature data. You need a grib viewer program to look at the data in a grib file. I have been using a grib viewer call zUGrib, because is open source and I can run it on both my Windows and Linux desktops. The grib viewer will show you a map with arrows indicating wind direction and intensity.
What make grib files so valuable for someone who is sailing is that you can get them via email. And this means that with the proper setup and can get them while at sea or in remote locations via single side band radio. Getting grib files via email is a lot like using old school LISTSERV commands. Basically you send an email message to "query (at) saildocs (d0t) com" with commands in the body of the message for the grib file that you would like to have sent to you. For example after sending an email with the following in the body of the message:
send gfs:20N,30N,75W,85W|1,1|6,12..96|WIND,AIRTEMP
You will recieve an email with an attached grib file that contains wind and air temperature data in 6 hour increments for the next 96 hours for the area within the longitude and latitude given. If you replace send with sub like so:
sub gfs:20N,30N,75W,85W|1,1|6,12..96|WIND,AIRTEMP
You will have a subscription and receive an email daily for 14 days with the latest grib file attached. Pretty cool! I have subscribed to saildocs for a grib file from now until my class is over. It will be interesting to see how close the grib file is to the conditions I experience on the boat.
