We've crossed 3 Oceans and think you do the best weather we've heard anywhere.
s/y Wings, Debora Gillespie & Terry Browne
I took your advice and crossed from West End to Lake Worth on Tuesday Jan
10. Your advice was spot on...Easterlies less than 12k.
We finished 2nd place in the Carib1500/Bahamas. Your advice was very
helpful.
Dick Dowall, s/y Endeavor
We very much enjoy your service and find it invaluable when we are on the move.
Mark Cole, s/y Reach, lying SanBlas Panama
You are providing a tremendously valuable service and your patience on the SSB is beyond compare. We hope others appreciate you as much as we have.
Doug Brown & Lisa Zandt, s/y Highland Light (formerly)
Our BoqueronPR to Florida passage was one of our more pleasant trips - not much motoring or motor sailing, relatively calm seas and very little rain. Your forecasts were accurate, and your routing advice excellent
John & Patti, s/y Anhinga
Our passage from Boqueron to Florida was one of our more pleasant trips - not much motoring or motor sailing, relatively calm seas and very little rain. Your forecasts were accurate, and your routing advice excellent.
John & Patti, s/y Anhinga
Tranquillite had a beautiful run around Tropical Storm Sean and we are safe and happy in Marigot St Lucia.
We found your recommendation of 74W Longitude to be an adequate cushion, and turned east about 25N.
Looking at all the possibilities and results, you worked out the best plan for us. We did have gale and sub gale conditions but it was on a broad reach and mostly dry. " the prettiest gale I have ever seen" was heard more than once.
Tim Pleune, s/y Tranquilite, Hylas 46
As you suggested, on our trip from the Chesapeake to the Virgin Islands, we went west and south of Tropical Storm Sean as he made his turn north. Although we had some 15 ft seas, the winds were generally between 20 and 30 kts on a broad reach. As a result, we made the trip not only safely but set a personal record of 7 days, 3hrs.
Jim Bridges, s/y Jadimean
Our SSB was the only electronics we did not lose when Hurricane Irene passed over us in the Bight of Acklins. Hearing your voice helped us feel like we could at least reach out and touch a person in that terrible experience. Thank you again for your service.
Connie & Mike, s/y Lady Bella
We got back to our slip at Miami Beach Marina November 17 (after our nearly-non-stop trip from New England). The trip went well thanks in no small part to your sound routing and weather advice.
Again thanks and we will be using you again in the future.
Bryan Logan, s/y Rhula Bula, Island Packet 485
I use Chris Parker of Marine Weather and communications for weather support
personally and for my delivery work. I highly recommend his services.
John DeWitt, Global Delivery Service
Thanks for all your help over the years. You were of tremendous help to us, and we wouldn't have thought of making a passage without you.
Gail & Mike Cannady, s/y Wild Rover
Your forecast for our trip from Charleston to Grand Turk is probably the only time that the weather followed the predictions to a tee in my life... even the confused sea around 76w was on the money.
Great forecast and good working with you.
John King, s/y Linda O, light F-28cc trimaran
Chris--our 3rd crew member--we have arrived in St Thomas!
We could not let the big arrival day pass without a hearty thank you for all of the weather insight you gave us on our voyage from Jacksonville to St Thomas. Some days we thought you were a spooky psychic, other days we thought you were playing with a Ouji board. But always we knew you had our best interests at heart. You are a gifted forecaster and we are grateful for your gifts!
Thanks also for your conversation with my mother. She was concerned for our welfare and your words of assurance put her mind to ease. So, not only are you gifted but you are kind. What a lovely mix in a human being!
Heather and Dave Mann, s/v WILD HAIR
Eric and I wanted to thank you for your advice in getting married on Saturday 29 January in Treasure Cay. The weather was just perfect and we had the most beautiful day and evening we could have dreamed of.
Eric & Nathalie, s/v Dream Ketcher
I just retired from being a professor in Atmospheric Science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and have taught entry level grad dynamics, so I can appreciate how well you presented the material...I learned a lot too, especially because I have never taken a forecasting course...I've been theoretical. I just want to give you some positive feedback and to let you know that you have a very good reputation within the cruising community, something you already know...you are the go-to-guy for the Caribbean in part because people know that you genuinely care and because you are a cruiser and understand...
Ron Welch, s/y Ananda
Heard you speak with WildHorse this am while I was watching the webcam......a huge comfort knowing he connected with you. Haven't heard from him but I took copious notes and am prepared to deliver your more in-depth info.
Carolyn, s/y WildHorse
Thank you for another season of wonderful cruising, largely due to your finely honed forcasting skills. Having departed Marsh Harbor, Wednesday morning, we arrived in Beaufort, NC, on Saturday morning at 11:30 AM, and other than two mornings of very mixed seas (which you HAD warned us about) , we had "the perfect" passage. It was my first time doing this, and I can't tell you how comforting it is to have your help.
Sarah Southworth, s/y Moonlight Serenade
We arrived in the Chesapeake safely, had a good sail for a few hours up the bay and stopped in Fishing Creek for a few days. Thanks for all the great weather advice over the past year, especially the Gulf Stream routing for this trip back from Bermuda. Having crossed the GS several times, this is the first time that we had little adverse current on the approach, and much of the time had 1+/- knot favorable current.
Ken & Janet Slagle, s/y Aquila
Based on your forecast (for Hurricane Paloma) I warned the manager of our complex and the Little Cayman Beach Resort about Paloma early (before she was Paloma). He was the only one on the 2 islands to completely evacuate the guests and workers. The other large resort actually took its guests out diving the day Paloma hit -- in spite of his warnings. Air flights are the only way off the island for those guests so they were unable to evacuate.
Lowell
The S/Y Scooter is back after completing a three year circumnavigation on March 25. No where in my travels have I had such great weather coverage as what you provide. As the New Zealanders would say, "Good on you mate" and cheers.
Captain Bob, S/Y Scooter
I wanted to convey my thanks for your excellent weather advice during our recent passage from St. Thomas to Bradenton. Your forecasts were exceptionally accurate and helpful from departure to arrival (10 days).
Based on your advice, we knew what to expect from the tropical wave and the first cold front on Sunday, Nov 15th, were happy to get comfortably across the Gulf Stream in the narrow weather window that you predicted for us the next day, and were reefed down and ready for the second dry front that passed over us while we were heading south to the Keys from Miami overnight on Tuesday, Nov 17th.
It's nice to have weather advice you can count on when making a passage like that. Thanks for everything!
Hudson Hoen, Nevis, West Indies
I noticed over the 20 years I am here in St.Lucia now that you are one of the few if not the only ones who do not just repeat the NOAA predictions but adapt using your local knowledge. And that's very much appreciated.
Ulrich
You may recall I spent an Easter Sunday with you three years (I think) ago to learn the ins and outs of GRIB forecasts before heading across the pond. Four crossings later and Med / Caribbean sailing, it was one of the most valuable days I spent preparing. Helped hugely! Many thanks
John, s/y Ramble
Some years ago I tore a weather article out of Ocean Navigator, Dec. 2004 and got around to reading it again this weekend. One of the best weather articles I've read, good understandable explanations, etc. "Big Winds with Little Warning," Author: Chris Parker.
Jim Bloom, Valiant Lady
Just wanted to thank you for all your assists getting SV Tranquility to and from Haiti... safely. I can not say enough about the quality of your services to the cruising community.
Joan Conover, SV Growltiger
Seven Seas Cruising Assocation CS Coordinator
Chris,
We've made it back to our home base near Annapolis safely and very satisfied with our two-year cruise. Had it not been for your accurate forecasts and wise advice we would surely have ventured into some nasty, uncomfortable, even dangerous situations. The fact that we never encountered dangerous weather, except for some thunderstorms off of Florida, which we evaded, helped make our voyage a success and (almost) worry-free.
We'll be in the Chesapeake for the time being, but we'll be in touch when we set out cruising again. Thanks so much!
Kim Cunningham, s/v Kikuyu
I've been meaning to send along a "thank you" for all your good guidance during our recent passage from Marsh Harbour to Block Island. I know the later stages of our voyage were a bit north of your usual grounds, but you hung in there with us and it turned out to be important. I also know at that time you were struggling to get back to normal after your lightning strike.
I was in contact with Herb in the afternoons, but he was having huge propagation problems, rendering him unintelligible. I do BuoyWeather aboard on SSB, but it was sure nice to have your expert interpretation of what was really happening and why.
We elected to stay in the Stream during that front that came through (at 0200, of course). I had 2 seasoned crew and WildHorse is a Valiant 42, so we chose our sail plan, battened down and were quite prepared. That said, you correctly predicted the big weather was coming from the SW to WSW, which is what occured. I would not have wanted to be there if the WX had gone north.
I just finished an article focusing on the Gulf Stream strategy of this passage and it has been accepted at Ocean Navigator. I mention you a couple of times in some paras on WX preparation.
Rick Meisner, Valiant 42 WildHorse
Susan and I wish to thank you for your very fine weather information and your understanding. We traveled about 1600 miles this season from Trinidad to Guatemala via St. Thomas using your guidance and your casts were A-1 over 90% of the time, a great track record.Best wishes, you will be hearing from Rejoice! in the fall mid Nov. or so.
Forest and Susan, s/y Rejoyce
Eddie and I want to thank you once again for providing us excellent weather forecasting service. Your forecast for the San Blas to Colon was right on the money. Without doubt, you are among the best of the best in this business, and are very well respected throughout the entire cruising community.
Thanks again Chris. As always, we will continue to highly recommend your services to all cruisers we meet in this part of the Caribbean.
Glenn & Eddie, M/V Tothill, Shelter Bay Marina, Panama
Today's specific reference to Cat Island ("Cat & C Exumas midnight: W@10 ahead / 340@25 behind FRONT, only slight chance for a squalls with FRONT") reminded me of an overdue New Year resolution to thank you for your outstanding work year-round and not just during hurricane season when we tend to memorize your forecasts! I advertise your services wherever I can, most recently and repeatedly last September to the Bahamas Emergency Management team who visited with us here on Cat and who are charged with hurricane preparedness throughout The Bahamas.
Ralph Ingersoll
Thank you for signing us up, it always feels good to support quality businesses. When I was a teenager my dad taught me something by which I have conducted my life by ever since and that was "that a job worth doing is a job worth doing well". Keep up the quality weather service.
Patrick Maslen, s/v Intrepid
Just a Merry Christmas & New Years note and a chance to tell you how much we appreciate your work. Once again a stellar year with a very low incidence of "off the mark" forecasts. Keep up the good work, it's unsurpassed.
Jan & Judie, s/y Meridian Chaser
[Your weather forecasts were great] there were no weather surprises... You called it right at every stage. You were the most valuable member of our crew and you will be again when we head back South in the Fall. I had some "spare" time on this trip and spent some of it reading your "Coastal and Offshore Weather" book. I have to tell you... great job at simplifying a complex subject.
James and Chantal, s/y Q
Chris, I just wanted to thank you for all the work you do for cruisers like us out here. Thanks to your "Right On Forecast" today we've had a fantastic sailing day from Middle Bight on Andros over to Sampson's Cay. We're not quite there yet, just 3 miles to go, but just wanted to let you know how much you are appreciated Chris. We've had overcast sky and 10-15 knots of wind from the N.W.throughout the day. The sun is out now, and it's just an unbeatable broad reaching sailing day!
Connie and Steve Ribakoff, s/v Better Days
After about nine (9) years of cruising from Calif to Columbia to Maine to the Bahamas, T&C I, and the Virgins, etc, we're done. Thanks for all your help along the way. Many many times your info was the most important item on our agenda and you never failed us.
Joe & Tracie, S/V Sea Loco, Punta Gorda, FL
Just wanted to say thank you for your help routing us from Norfolk to the Virgins. We anchored Culebra this morning, very sucessful, low stress, low damage trip. Your help was invaluable and very accurate. Best wishes
Guy Moppel & the rest of the crew, s/y Pickles
I wanted to thank you for your awesome work. We are new to the Caribbean, coming from Seattle, and are finding the weather here to be very unique and confusing. We just completed a passage from Providencia to Guanaja and your reporting was incredibly valuable.
Carl y Mei King, S/V Monju
Thank you for your assistance throughout the 2008 cruising season as MILANO MYST reached out and explored this year. While by ourselves a good portion of the 6 months we knew that we were never alone as long as we could hook up to 4045 in the morning. The peace of mind that you gave to our entire crew made for a great season.
Rob, Carole, Dayla and Daniel, sv MILANO MYST
We have talked to several boats which were both north and south of us [on our voyage to the Azores]. All experienced much worst weather than we did. They had winds ranging from 40 to 60 kts. The boat that followed Herb's advice to head south had the worst of it. It appears that my following the track recommended by Chris Parker we were right in the center of the low. Our barometer went from 1024mb to 999mb over several days.
Joe Barnette, s/y Hope and Glory Sunday, Horta Azores
Thanks for your storm forecast. I have a copy of the national newspaper with the date of Sunday June 1 stating: "The storm will not impact Belize". Everyone here said that the had notice the day the storm hit. Their main weather guy said that it was a fluke and nobody could have predicted it. Obviously a load of crapola. I think your service should be offered to the government here. They obviously need it. They lost 5 lives and had millions of dollars in damages which might have been mitigated with better notice.
Marc Blumenthal, S/V Alpha Wave
Thanks for the good forecasting leading into the unstable weather of the last week plus. we took shelter on your advice, but were delayed in getting tucked in due to needing to extend our visas with Belizean officialdom near Placencia. that afternoon, thirty minutes after anchoring in a protected bay a few miles north of Monkey River Town, Belize we experienced the first of many 40 knot squalls, and huge rains per your call! stayed there for seven days - and the weather is still unstable along the coast. big squall with lots of lightning last night to keep us on our toes.
Bob Auwood, SV Spray, Placencia, Belize
Thanks also for your superb weather skills....We had planned to leave Highborne Cay in the Exumas on Wednesday morning for Beaufort. Because of your warning about Sunday's front off the Carolina coast we decided to head to Charleston instead and arrived here Saturday around noon. THANK GOODNESS. We have been seeing 40+ knots of wind all Sunday morning safely at the dock in Charleston. Thank goodness we altered our plans. No one is ever always right but you come pretty close!
Roger and Amy, Shango
We left Great Sale Cay Friday morning April 25 and crossed over the banks at Middle Shoal @ 14:15 and headed for the Gulf Stream. Once we were in the Stream we raced north and your way-points proved to be invaluable to us. It seems you got them all right as we were able to round Cape Hatteras by 07:30 on Monday. We were able to get in the lea of the Cape and dodged the prefrontal storms on the way into Norfolk (though we did observe a very large water spout well offshore). We arrived in Norfolk at 02:00 Tues still with South winds. Again thanks for the Gulf Stream way-points, they enabled us to maintain an average of 8.1 knots, not bad for a Whitby 42.
Larry Donaldson and Janet Keachie, SV Star Shadow
Just wanted to let you know we are in Ponce, Puerto Rico. We arrived on friday around 0800. It took us 48 hours to get from Brunswick to Miami and then about 51/2 days from Miami to Ponce. We had great weather, made great time and missed most all of the squalls thanks to you.
Liz, s/v Salida
Your predictions were spot on and we had a great trip. 420 miles in 66 hours which, for Ariel, is quite an achievement. We are going back through the Turks and Caicos and I will be looking for similar advice in a week or so.
Charles Springett, S/V Ariel, Village Cay Marina, Tortola, BVI
I want to thank you for the service you provide. Not just in the ability to get weather but just in being there. Spending a long time out by myself it was nice to know that I could count on hearing familiar voices and catching up on where my friends are and were going. My mom appreciated the fact that if need be she could get in contact with me or you could at least let her know you had heard me. So I just wanted to say thanks and if you are ever in Kansas drop me a line and I will buy you a beer!
Dan
Talked to you Wed. AM and you recommended a Th.\ Fri. window for a trip from Nassau to Lake Worth. It turned out to be a record passage for us as we made the trip in exactly 27 hours with east winds at 20 to 25 dropping to 15 in the Gulf Stream. For our 35 foot Nicholson, this was a great time,particularly since we beat most of the larger vessels. The subscription to your service has been one of the best boating investments I have made in owning Random Run for over 32 years, and I am a frugal guy at that. Your book is great too. Welcome aboard.
Frank & Sherri Voorheis
We made it to Isla Mujeres with great wind. It was a perfect sail. The wind was strong, 15 to 25 kts mostly east all the way. When we got to the Yucatan Channel the winds turned ESE and we had a great sail all the way to the anchorage, 494 nm in 72 hours. Thanks for your help.I love what you wrote: THIS IS SOME OF THE MILDEST & MOST-SETTLED WEATHER THE NW CARIBBEAN HAS SEEN ALL WINTER Did we time this perfect or what? :)
Trisha Hayes, Aventura 440-04
I appreciate the honesty and accuracy of your forecasts and I have enjoyed listening to you each morning.
Maury and Bonnie, s/v Smidge
Thank you for your excellent services to us for the last few months. We really have appreciated having such accurate and timely information to assist our passage making decisions. You may recall our bit of excitement in December on our way to Antigua with the developing named storm Olga. It was truly amazing that as a direct result of your information we were about 100 nm north of our planned track which put us 10nm away from the vessel in distress. He was a very lucky man and whether one believes in providence or something more formal one can't help thinking we were meant to be there that day. Once again thank you for your assistance on the day with communications to USCG. We will be sure to sign up with you again in time for next season.
Adrian and Clare Richards, Flyin Low
Your service is wonderful....
Whenever we meet other cruisers, we let them know what a great service this is...they are amazed that you provide this most excellent service for a tremendous value...
Not only do you begin your day before, most any cruiser in the right mind..you do it pleasantly and patiently...and that is rare in these times...so THANK YOU...
Mike and Linda Araneda, s/v Yemonja
Your weather reports are just exactly what a cruiser needs to be safe and comfortable.
Bill and Sue Shafer, s/y Unchained
[During] our two year cruise to the eastern Caribbean (Chesapeake to Trinidad for hurricane season and back again)…we've found your service invaluable. You do a great job, and your forecasts for us have always been very accurate. We like being in "paradise", but we also like the softest offshore passages we can find to get there. We wouldn't do it without you.You do the cruising community a great service.
Tom and Linda O'Connell, S/V Surprise, Island Packet 40
Thanks for the past services it really helped making our trip North a short and safe 18 days from the Bahama's to Halifax NS.
Pat n Ted, s/y Xcelsior
Many thanks to you and your insight and knowledge, it is very much appreciated. You provide a wonderful service, have a world class reputation and deserve a big thank you. So, thank you.
Jenny and Otis, S/V Independence
We were all amazed when the front arrived at 3:20PM Sunday, just 20 minutes after your predicted time! We saw an instantaneous windshift, from 5k out of the SW to 15k out of the NE
Cindy & Rick, s/v Dragonfly
It has been a pleasure - and a great relief - to have your forecasts available. As I'm sure you know, you have taken a major source of anxiety out of our cruising for the last 4 years, and made it a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. Thank you for your efforts and for the patient way you share your knowledge when you answer our questions. The education alone has been worth the cost of admission!
Frank, S/V Draco
Thank you for all the weather input for our trip [from the US]. You have been right on the money every time. We are making our turn south in the morning into St. Thomas.
Tom Rose, S/V Seraphim
Listening and speaking with you on daily basis over the last 10 months on our two trips to the Bahamas has been the number one comfort factor for our confidence in our cruising safety and enjoyment. We are big fans of yours and have recommended your net to others who also are now sponsoring vessels.
Jim Keegan, Magnificat
Thanks for your e-mails supplementing your forecasts. Devi and I departed Tobago early on Tuesday morning and made a fast passage to Prickly Bay Grenada. Your forecast was right on the money. Thank you for your prompt replies and the excellent quality of your forecasts.
Hunter Sharp, S/V Arctic Tern
First of all a big "thank you" for your great job. We are more than happy with your advises and only regret, not having signed in already two years ago...
Rudy & Lilian, s/y Shiva
Your forecasts are the most reliable that we have EVER seen. Keep up the good work, and thanks.
Kenny & Kathy, Mer Soleil
Your email forecasts are a pleasure. Tell you what you need to know, give you the background if you want it, all in layman's terms (pretty much like your book). The format is just great.
John Reid, s/y Ramble
I have 30 years as a pilot with briefings from Flight Service, never any as good as yours. I have depended upon your reports last year in the Bahamas and was always amazed at their validity.
Cal & Linda, s/y Grande Pirogue
Both of us thank you very, very much for the services you have provided for the past several years. Receiving the daily Caribbean and/or Bahamas reports via e-mail (on our satellite phone) was well worth the modest fee that you charge. It was particularly important to us since on our most recent boat we did not have SSB. We found your weather reports to be on the money almost without fail--no other service that we know of gives so much, so accurate information! We were also able to contact you via e-mail and satellite phone several times when on passage. This is another one of your services that was invaluable to us. We quickly learned to "Go" when you predicted a good weather window and sit in safe harbor when you said "No go". We have already recommended your services to our cruising friends and will continue to pass the word when we are in contact with the cruising community.
Clark and Ann Swayze, m/y Trust
Thanks for the great service. I am convinced you provide the best interpretation available. For whatever little bit you have to guess, you're generally the best guess around.
Fred R. Thomas
We arrived in Cayman Tuesday evening safe and sound. Thanks very much for all your help over the last two years its been a lot of fun and your contribution was invaluable. We couldn't have stayed moving through two hurricane seasons safely without your info and advice.
Peter and Mary Anne Kosa, s/y Lughnasa
We always appreciate your on target advice as do all the rest of the sailing community.
Bill and Sandy Donaldson, S/V Lucille- Saga 43
Lucky Star has arrived in Guadeloupe and will remain here for the hurricane season. Thank you very much for your excellent weather analysis and predictions allowing us to make the difficult easterly journey to the Caribbean in the safest manner possible. Having experienced your services, I will never again sail without them and I highly recommend you to cruisers we meet along the way.
Chris & Margit Mills, s/v Lucky Star
Your weather forecasting and delivery via SSB and e-mail are excellent. Tailored for the sailor and with more detail and insight than you can get from any other source. At first I was put off by you always giving caveats... well, it might do this or it might do that... But I came to appreciate your discussion of probability and alternates. When you listen to other marine forecasts you can only get a sense of that by looking for changing forecasts.
I would strongly recommend your service to anyone heading for the Bahamas. Your service is great and a bargain. The few minutes of advice you gave was worth every penny.
Guy Collins, s/y Shay La Mer
You were spot on as usual including the 30 and 40 knot squalls we had north of Bahamas and off Carolinas.
Tom, s/v Syrinx
I always pay particular attention to your advice which for years I always find more accurate and illuminating than anything else.
Captain Gary Corbin, m/y Cest La Vie
s/y Wings, Debora Gillespie & Terry Browne
I took your advice and crossed from West End to Lake Worth on Tuesday Jan
10. Your advice was spot on...Easterlies less than 12k.
We finished 2nd place in the Carib1500/Bahamas. Your advice was very
helpful.
Dick Dowall, s/y Endeavor
We very much enjoy your service and find it invaluable when we are on the move.
Mark Cole, s/y Reach, lying SanBlas Panama
You are providing a tremendously valuable service and your patience on the SSB is beyond compare. We hope others appreciate you as much as we have.
Doug Brown & Lisa Zandt, s/y Highland Light (formerly)
Our BoqueronPR to Florida passage was one of our more pleasant trips - not much motoring or motor sailing, relatively calm seas and very little rain. Your forecasts were accurate, and your routing advice excellent
John & Patti, s/y Anhinga
Our passage from Boqueron to Florida was one of our more pleasant trips - not much motoring or motor sailing, relatively calm seas and very little rain. Your forecasts were accurate, and your routing advice excellent.
John & Patti, s/y Anhinga
Tranquillite had a beautiful run around Tropical Storm Sean and we are safe and happy in Marigot St Lucia.
We found your recommendation of 74W Longitude to be an adequate cushion, and turned east about 25N.
Looking at all the possibilities and results, you worked out the best plan for us. We did have gale and sub gale conditions but it was on a broad reach and mostly dry. " the prettiest gale I have ever seen" was heard more than once.
Tim Pleune, s/y Tranquilite, Hylas 46
As you suggested, on our trip from the Chesapeake to the Virgin Islands, we went west and south of Tropical Storm Sean as he made his turn north. Although we had some 15 ft seas, the winds were generally between 20 and 30 kts on a broad reach. As a result, we made the trip not only safely but set a personal record of 7 days, 3hrs.
Jim Bridges, s/y Jadimean
Our SSB was the only electronics we did not lose when Hurricane Irene passed over us in the Bight of Acklins. Hearing your voice helped us feel like we could at least reach out and touch a person in that terrible experience. Thank you again for your service.
Connie & Mike, s/y Lady Bella
We got back to our slip at Miami Beach Marina November 17 (after our nearly-non-stop trip from New England). The trip went well thanks in no small part to your sound routing and weather advice.
Again thanks and we will be using you again in the future.
Bryan Logan, s/y Rhula Bula, Island Packet 485
I use Chris Parker of Marine Weather and communications for weather support
personally and for my delivery work. I highly recommend his services.
John DeWitt, Global Delivery Service
Thanks for all your help over the years. You were of tremendous help to us, and we wouldn't have thought of making a passage without you.
Gail & Mike Cannady, s/y Wild Rover
Your forecast for our trip from Charleston to Grand Turk is probably the only time that the weather followed the predictions to a tee in my life... even the confused sea around 76w was on the money.
Great forecast and good working with you.
John King, s/y Linda O, light F-28cc trimaran
Chris--our 3rd crew member--we have arrived in St Thomas!
We could not let the big arrival day pass without a hearty thank you for all of the weather insight you gave us on our voyage from Jacksonville to St Thomas. Some days we thought you were a spooky psychic, other days we thought you were playing with a Ouji board. But always we knew you had our best interests at heart. You are a gifted forecaster and we are grateful for your gifts!
Thanks also for your conversation with my mother. She was concerned for our welfare and your words of assurance put her mind to ease. So, not only are you gifted but you are kind. What a lovely mix in a human being!
Heather and Dave Mann, s/v WILD HAIR
Eric and I wanted to thank you for your advice in getting married on Saturday 29 January in Treasure Cay. The weather was just perfect and we had the most beautiful day and evening we could have dreamed of.
Eric & Nathalie, s/v Dream Ketcher
I just retired from being a professor in Atmospheric Science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and have taught entry level grad dynamics, so I can appreciate how well you presented the material...I learned a lot too, especially because I have never taken a forecasting course...I've been theoretical. I just want to give you some positive feedback and to let you know that you have a very good reputation within the cruising community, something you already know...you are the go-to-guy for the Caribbean in part because people know that you genuinely care and because you are a cruiser and understand...
Ron Welch, s/y Ananda
Heard you speak with WildHorse this am while I was watching the webcam......a huge comfort knowing he connected with you. Haven't heard from him but I took copious notes and am prepared to deliver your more in-depth info.
Carolyn, s/y WildHorse
Thank you for another season of wonderful cruising, largely due to your finely honed forcasting skills. Having departed Marsh Harbor, Wednesday morning, we arrived in Beaufort, NC, on Saturday morning at 11:30 AM, and other than two mornings of very mixed seas (which you HAD warned us about) , we had "the perfect" passage. It was my first time doing this, and I can't tell you how comforting it is to have your help.
Sarah Southworth, s/y Moonlight Serenade
We arrived in the Chesapeake safely, had a good sail for a few hours up the bay and stopped in Fishing Creek for a few days. Thanks for all the great weather advice over the past year, especially the Gulf Stream routing for this trip back from Bermuda. Having crossed the GS several times, this is the first time that we had little adverse current on the approach, and much of the time had 1+/- knot favorable current.
Ken & Janet Slagle, s/y Aquila
Based on your forecast (for Hurricane Paloma) I warned the manager of our complex and the Little Cayman Beach Resort about Paloma early (before she was Paloma). He was the only one on the 2 islands to completely evacuate the guests and workers. The other large resort actually took its guests out diving the day Paloma hit -- in spite of his warnings. Air flights are the only way off the island for those guests so they were unable to evacuate.
Lowell
The S/Y Scooter is back after completing a three year circumnavigation on March 25. No where in my travels have I had such great weather coverage as what you provide. As the New Zealanders would say, "Good on you mate" and cheers.
Captain Bob, S/Y Scooter
I wanted to convey my thanks for your excellent weather advice during our recent passage from St. Thomas to Bradenton. Your forecasts were exceptionally accurate and helpful from departure to arrival (10 days).
Based on your advice, we knew what to expect from the tropical wave and the first cold front on Sunday, Nov 15th, were happy to get comfortably across the Gulf Stream in the narrow weather window that you predicted for us the next day, and were reefed down and ready for the second dry front that passed over us while we were heading south to the Keys from Miami overnight on Tuesday, Nov 17th.
It's nice to have weather advice you can count on when making a passage like that. Thanks for everything!
Hudson Hoen, Nevis, West Indies
I noticed over the 20 years I am here in St.Lucia now that you are one of the few if not the only ones who do not just repeat the NOAA predictions but adapt using your local knowledge. And that's very much appreciated.
Ulrich
You may recall I spent an Easter Sunday with you three years (I think) ago to learn the ins and outs of GRIB forecasts before heading across the pond. Four crossings later and Med / Caribbean sailing, it was one of the most valuable days I spent preparing. Helped hugely! Many thanks
John, s/y Ramble
Some years ago I tore a weather article out of Ocean Navigator, Dec. 2004 and got around to reading it again this weekend. One of the best weather articles I've read, good understandable explanations, etc. "Big Winds with Little Warning," Author: Chris Parker.
Jim Bloom, Valiant Lady
Just wanted to thank you for all your assists getting SV Tranquility to and from Haiti... safely. I can not say enough about the quality of your services to the cruising community.
Joan Conover, SV Growltiger
Seven Seas Cruising Assocation CS Coordinator
Chris,
We've made it back to our home base near Annapolis safely and very satisfied with our two-year cruise. Had it not been for your accurate forecasts and wise advice we would surely have ventured into some nasty, uncomfortable, even dangerous situations. The fact that we never encountered dangerous weather, except for some thunderstorms off of Florida, which we evaded, helped make our voyage a success and (almost) worry-free.
We'll be in the Chesapeake for the time being, but we'll be in touch when we set out cruising again. Thanks so much!
Kim Cunningham, s/v Kikuyu
I've been meaning to send along a "thank you" for all your good guidance during our recent passage from Marsh Harbour to Block Island. I know the later stages of our voyage were a bit north of your usual grounds, but you hung in there with us and it turned out to be important. I also know at that time you were struggling to get back to normal after your lightning strike.
I was in contact with Herb in the afternoons, but he was having huge propagation problems, rendering him unintelligible. I do BuoyWeather aboard on SSB, but it was sure nice to have your expert interpretation of what was really happening and why.
We elected to stay in the Stream during that front that came through (at 0200, of course). I had 2 seasoned crew and WildHorse is a Valiant 42, so we chose our sail plan, battened down and were quite prepared. That said, you correctly predicted the big weather was coming from the SW to WSW, which is what occured. I would not have wanted to be there if the WX had gone north.
I just finished an article focusing on the Gulf Stream strategy of this passage and it has been accepted at Ocean Navigator. I mention you a couple of times in some paras on WX preparation.
Rick Meisner, Valiant 42 WildHorse
Susan and I wish to thank you for your very fine weather information and your understanding. We traveled about 1600 miles this season from Trinidad to Guatemala via St. Thomas using your guidance and your casts were A-1 over 90% of the time, a great track record.Best wishes, you will be hearing from Rejoice! in the fall mid Nov. or so.
Forest and Susan, s/y Rejoyce
Eddie and I want to thank you once again for providing us excellent weather forecasting service. Your forecast for the San Blas to Colon was right on the money. Without doubt, you are among the best of the best in this business, and are very well respected throughout the entire cruising community.
Thanks again Chris. As always, we will continue to highly recommend your services to all cruisers we meet in this part of the Caribbean.
Glenn & Eddie, M/V Tothill, Shelter Bay Marina, Panama
Today's specific reference to Cat Island ("Cat & C Exumas midnight: W@10 ahead / 340@25 behind FRONT, only slight chance for a squalls with FRONT") reminded me of an overdue New Year resolution to thank you for your outstanding work year-round and not just during hurricane season when we tend to memorize your forecasts! I advertise your services wherever I can, most recently and repeatedly last September to the Bahamas Emergency Management team who visited with us here on Cat and who are charged with hurricane preparedness throughout The Bahamas.
Ralph Ingersoll
Thank you for signing us up, it always feels good to support quality businesses. When I was a teenager my dad taught me something by which I have conducted my life by ever since and that was "that a job worth doing is a job worth doing well". Keep up the quality weather service.
Patrick Maslen, s/v Intrepid
Just a Merry Christmas & New Years note and a chance to tell you how much we appreciate your work. Once again a stellar year with a very low incidence of "off the mark" forecasts. Keep up the good work, it's unsurpassed.
Jan & Judie, s/y Meridian Chaser
[Your weather forecasts were great] there were no weather surprises... You called it right at every stage. You were the most valuable member of our crew and you will be again when we head back South in the Fall. I had some "spare" time on this trip and spent some of it reading your "Coastal and Offshore Weather" book. I have to tell you... great job at simplifying a complex subject.
James and Chantal, s/y Q
Chris, I just wanted to thank you for all the work you do for cruisers like us out here. Thanks to your "Right On Forecast" today we've had a fantastic sailing day from Middle Bight on Andros over to Sampson's Cay. We're not quite there yet, just 3 miles to go, but just wanted to let you know how much you are appreciated Chris. We've had overcast sky and 10-15 knots of wind from the N.W.throughout the day. The sun is out now, and it's just an unbeatable broad reaching sailing day!
Connie and Steve Ribakoff, s/v Better Days
After about nine (9) years of cruising from Calif to Columbia to Maine to the Bahamas, T&C I, and the Virgins, etc, we're done. Thanks for all your help along the way. Many many times your info was the most important item on our agenda and you never failed us.
Joe & Tracie, S/V Sea Loco, Punta Gorda, FL
Just wanted to say thank you for your help routing us from Norfolk to the Virgins. We anchored Culebra this morning, very sucessful, low stress, low damage trip. Your help was invaluable and very accurate. Best wishes
Guy Moppel & the rest of the crew, s/y Pickles
I wanted to thank you for your awesome work. We are new to the Caribbean, coming from Seattle, and are finding the weather here to be very unique and confusing. We just completed a passage from Providencia to Guanaja and your reporting was incredibly valuable.
Carl y Mei King, S/V Monju
Thank you for your assistance throughout the 2008 cruising season as MILANO MYST reached out and explored this year. While by ourselves a good portion of the 6 months we knew that we were never alone as long as we could hook up to 4045 in the morning. The peace of mind that you gave to our entire crew made for a great season.
Rob, Carole, Dayla and Daniel, sv MILANO MYST
We have talked to several boats which were both north and south of us [on our voyage to the Azores]. All experienced much worst weather than we did. They had winds ranging from 40 to 60 kts. The boat that followed Herb's advice to head south had the worst of it. It appears that my following the track recommended by Chris Parker we were right in the center of the low. Our barometer went from 1024mb to 999mb over several days.
Joe Barnette, s/y Hope and Glory Sunday, Horta Azores
Thanks for your storm forecast. I have a copy of the national newspaper with the date of Sunday June 1 stating: "The storm will not impact Belize". Everyone here said that the had notice the day the storm hit. Their main weather guy said that it was a fluke and nobody could have predicted it. Obviously a load of crapola. I think your service should be offered to the government here. They obviously need it. They lost 5 lives and had millions of dollars in damages which might have been mitigated with better notice.
Marc Blumenthal, S/V Alpha Wave
Thanks for the good forecasting leading into the unstable weather of the last week plus. we took shelter on your advice, but were delayed in getting tucked in due to needing to extend our visas with Belizean officialdom near Placencia. that afternoon, thirty minutes after anchoring in a protected bay a few miles north of Monkey River Town, Belize we experienced the first of many 40 knot squalls, and huge rains per your call! stayed there for seven days - and the weather is still unstable along the coast. big squall with lots of lightning last night to keep us on our toes.
Bob Auwood, SV Spray, Placencia, Belize
Thanks also for your superb weather skills....We had planned to leave Highborne Cay in the Exumas on Wednesday morning for Beaufort. Because of your warning about Sunday's front off the Carolina coast we decided to head to Charleston instead and arrived here Saturday around noon. THANK GOODNESS. We have been seeing 40+ knots of wind all Sunday morning safely at the dock in Charleston. Thank goodness we altered our plans. No one is ever always right but you come pretty close!
Roger and Amy, Shango
We left Great Sale Cay Friday morning April 25 and crossed over the banks at Middle Shoal @ 14:15 and headed for the Gulf Stream. Once we were in the Stream we raced north and your way-points proved to be invaluable to us. It seems you got them all right as we were able to round Cape Hatteras by 07:30 on Monday. We were able to get in the lea of the Cape and dodged the prefrontal storms on the way into Norfolk (though we did observe a very large water spout well offshore). We arrived in Norfolk at 02:00 Tues still with South winds. Again thanks for the Gulf Stream way-points, they enabled us to maintain an average of 8.1 knots, not bad for a Whitby 42.
Larry Donaldson and Janet Keachie, SV Star Shadow
Just wanted to let you know we are in Ponce, Puerto Rico. We arrived on friday around 0800. It took us 48 hours to get from Brunswick to Miami and then about 51/2 days from Miami to Ponce. We had great weather, made great time and missed most all of the squalls thanks to you.
Liz, s/v Salida
Your predictions were spot on and we had a great trip. 420 miles in 66 hours which, for Ariel, is quite an achievement. We are going back through the Turks and Caicos and I will be looking for similar advice in a week or so.
Charles Springett, S/V Ariel, Village Cay Marina, Tortola, BVI
I want to thank you for the service you provide. Not just in the ability to get weather but just in being there. Spending a long time out by myself it was nice to know that I could count on hearing familiar voices and catching up on where my friends are and were going. My mom appreciated the fact that if need be she could get in contact with me or you could at least let her know you had heard me. So I just wanted to say thanks and if you are ever in Kansas drop me a line and I will buy you a beer!
Dan
Talked to you Wed. AM and you recommended a Th.\ Fri. window for a trip from Nassau to Lake Worth. It turned out to be a record passage for us as we made the trip in exactly 27 hours with east winds at 20 to 25 dropping to 15 in the Gulf Stream. For our 35 foot Nicholson, this was a great time,particularly since we beat most of the larger vessels. The subscription to your service has been one of the best boating investments I have made in owning Random Run for over 32 years, and I am a frugal guy at that. Your book is great too. Welcome aboard.
Frank & Sherri Voorheis
We made it to Isla Mujeres with great wind. It was a perfect sail. The wind was strong, 15 to 25 kts mostly east all the way. When we got to the Yucatan Channel the winds turned ESE and we had a great sail all the way to the anchorage, 494 nm in 72 hours. Thanks for your help.I love what you wrote: THIS IS SOME OF THE MILDEST & MOST-SETTLED WEATHER THE NW CARIBBEAN HAS SEEN ALL WINTER Did we time this perfect or what? :)
Trisha Hayes, Aventura 440-04
I appreciate the honesty and accuracy of your forecasts and I have enjoyed listening to you each morning.
Maury and Bonnie, s/v Smidge
Thank you for your excellent services to us for the last few months. We really have appreciated having such accurate and timely information to assist our passage making decisions. You may recall our bit of excitement in December on our way to Antigua with the developing named storm Olga. It was truly amazing that as a direct result of your information we were about 100 nm north of our planned track which put us 10nm away from the vessel in distress. He was a very lucky man and whether one believes in providence or something more formal one can't help thinking we were meant to be there that day. Once again thank you for your assistance on the day with communications to USCG. We will be sure to sign up with you again in time for next season.
Adrian and Clare Richards, Flyin Low
Your service is wonderful....
Whenever we meet other cruisers, we let them know what a great service this is...they are amazed that you provide this most excellent service for a tremendous value...
Not only do you begin your day before, most any cruiser in the right mind..you do it pleasantly and patiently...and that is rare in these times...so THANK YOU...
Mike and Linda Araneda, s/v Yemonja
Your weather reports are just exactly what a cruiser needs to be safe and comfortable.
Bill and Sue Shafer, s/y Unchained
[During] our two year cruise to the eastern Caribbean (Chesapeake to Trinidad for hurricane season and back again)…we've found your service invaluable. You do a great job, and your forecasts for us have always been very accurate. We like being in "paradise", but we also like the softest offshore passages we can find to get there. We wouldn't do it without you.You do the cruising community a great service.
Tom and Linda O'Connell, S/V Surprise, Island Packet 40
Thanks for the past services it really helped making our trip North a short and safe 18 days from the Bahama's to Halifax NS.
Pat n Ted, s/y Xcelsior
Many thanks to you and your insight and knowledge, it is very much appreciated. You provide a wonderful service, have a world class reputation and deserve a big thank you. So, thank you.
Jenny and Otis, S/V Independence
We were all amazed when the front arrived at 3:20PM Sunday, just 20 minutes after your predicted time! We saw an instantaneous windshift, from 5k out of the SW to 15k out of the NE
Cindy & Rick, s/v Dragonfly
It has been a pleasure - and a great relief - to have your forecasts available. As I'm sure you know, you have taken a major source of anxiety out of our cruising for the last 4 years, and made it a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. Thank you for your efforts and for the patient way you share your knowledge when you answer our questions. The education alone has been worth the cost of admission!
Frank, S/V Draco
Thank you for all the weather input for our trip [from the US]. You have been right on the money every time. We are making our turn south in the morning into St. Thomas.
Tom Rose, S/V Seraphim
Listening and speaking with you on daily basis over the last 10 months on our two trips to the Bahamas has been the number one comfort factor for our confidence in our cruising safety and enjoyment. We are big fans of yours and have recommended your net to others who also are now sponsoring vessels.
Jim Keegan, Magnificat
Thanks for your e-mails supplementing your forecasts. Devi and I departed Tobago early on Tuesday morning and made a fast passage to Prickly Bay Grenada. Your forecast was right on the money. Thank you for your prompt replies and the excellent quality of your forecasts.
Hunter Sharp, S/V Arctic Tern
First of all a big "thank you" for your great job. We are more than happy with your advises and only regret, not having signed in already two years ago...
Rudy & Lilian, s/y Shiva
Your forecasts are the most reliable that we have EVER seen. Keep up the good work, and thanks.
Kenny & Kathy, Mer Soleil
Your email forecasts are a pleasure. Tell you what you need to know, give you the background if you want it, all in layman's terms (pretty much like your book). The format is just great.
John Reid, s/y Ramble
I have 30 years as a pilot with briefings from Flight Service, never any as good as yours. I have depended upon your reports last year in the Bahamas and was always amazed at their validity.
Cal & Linda, s/y Grande Pirogue
Both of us thank you very, very much for the services you have provided for the past several years. Receiving the daily Caribbean and/or Bahamas reports via e-mail (on our satellite phone) was well worth the modest fee that you charge. It was particularly important to us since on our most recent boat we did not have SSB. We found your weather reports to be on the money almost without fail--no other service that we know of gives so much, so accurate information! We were also able to contact you via e-mail and satellite phone several times when on passage. This is another one of your services that was invaluable to us. We quickly learned to "Go" when you predicted a good weather window and sit in safe harbor when you said "No go". We have already recommended your services to our cruising friends and will continue to pass the word when we are in contact with the cruising community.
Clark and Ann Swayze, m/y Trust
Thanks for the great service. I am convinced you provide the best interpretation available. For whatever little bit you have to guess, you're generally the best guess around.
Fred R. Thomas
We arrived in Cayman Tuesday evening safe and sound. Thanks very much for all your help over the last two years its been a lot of fun and your contribution was invaluable. We couldn't have stayed moving through two hurricane seasons safely without your info and advice.
Peter and Mary Anne Kosa, s/y Lughnasa
We always appreciate your on target advice as do all the rest of the sailing community.
Bill and Sandy Donaldson, S/V Lucille- Saga 43
Lucky Star has arrived in Guadeloupe and will remain here for the hurricane season. Thank you very much for your excellent weather analysis and predictions allowing us to make the difficult easterly journey to the Caribbean in the safest manner possible. Having experienced your services, I will never again sail without them and I highly recommend you to cruisers we meet along the way.
Chris & Margit Mills, s/v Lucky Star
Your weather forecasting and delivery via SSB and e-mail are excellent. Tailored for the sailor and with more detail and insight than you can get from any other source. At first I was put off by you always giving caveats... well, it might do this or it might do that... But I came to appreciate your discussion of probability and alternates. When you listen to other marine forecasts you can only get a sense of that by looking for changing forecasts.
I would strongly recommend your service to anyone heading for the Bahamas. Your service is great and a bargain. The few minutes of advice you gave was worth every penny.
Guy Collins, s/y Shay La Mer
You were spot on as usual including the 30 and 40 knot squalls we had north of Bahamas and off Carolinas.
Tom, s/v Syrinx
I always pay particular attention to your advice which for years I always find more accurate and illuminating than anything else.
Captain Gary Corbin, m/y Cest La Vie
