~ Coms and Forecasting at Sea ~

I thought maybe some folks might find this helpful. I have been talking to other boaters about this for the last 18,000 miles or so. When considering cost to functionality what are best devices to have aboard for communication, forecasting and tracking. All this while considering reliability and at the same time understanding the uniqueness of each device as well as the redundancies. Until I installed Starlink recently my approach was have it all. That said based my happiness with the functionality of Starlink and cost I have decided to trim the fat. Obviously all this comes down to each individuals personal preferences and budget. These are my thoughts based on my experience.

Currently (your gonna gag)

$159.00 a month Verizon (Unlimited - USA Cell)

$69.00 a month Garmen Inreach (Expedition Plan - Unlimited)

$160.00 a month for Iridium Go Airtime a month (Go Unlimited Plan)

$200.00 a month Starlink (Global Plan - 1TB Limit High Speed)

$499.00 a year or $41.00 a month Predict Wind Forecasting (Professional Plan)

$0.00 SSB (don’t use but works)

At $629.00 A MONTH!

To break the cost to functionality down

Verizon Cell -

I maintain this line for business. That said I have decided to port the number to an online service and ditch the bill. I liked having this service as a back up when traveling. But at $10.00 a day on top of the bill an ESIM makes way more sense.

Garmen Inreach -

In my opinion as a cruiser this device is invaluable. Sailors best friend for reliable communication. Having the ability to clip it to a bag and text from it or your phone anywhere on the planet is everything. In the middle of the ocean, a new town, off for a long hike in fiji or on a dive tour Indo all for a very reasonable cost. Plus the SOS functionality is clutch.

This does do “forecasting”. It is very limited. Cannot be compared to the Iridium Go or Starlink as far as functionality.

Starlink obviously is better for communication. As you have phone, text, email, video etc.. All using high speed data. I am still keeping the Inreach for redundancy and for onshore use. Its a cheap amazing safety net anywhere on the planet.

The Predict Wind Tracking Page can be fed from the Inreach. As I am not doing any long passages for a while and having Starlink this makes my Iridium Go not needed at the moment. *I will turn it back on when crossing the Indian Ocean. Not comfortable with Starlink yet for reliable forecasting offshore.

So I have downgraded one plan on my Inreach to the Recreation Plan. $34.00 a month. This has Unlimited Tracking and 40 texts a month included. My family needs the tracking page for comfort as I am singlehanded.

Iridium Go -

The go to for forecasting. Unfortunately not very reliable for communication except emails. Hence the Inreach and Starlink. That said In my opinion this is a must for long passages. It is clunky and slow but there is no better way to get up to date forecasting and routing. Yes Starlink technically covers this faster but for me its still a question of reliability. The Iriduim is tried and true as Starlink is cutting edge almost bleeding edge tech. This comes with hiccups. When I am a 1000 miles offshore and I need a forecast reliable is key.

As I am coastal cruising around SE Asia for a year and have Starlink I have suspended this service for the time being. *I do have a pile of SIM cards when I want to re-activate. With the Predict Wind Service when you re-activate you need a new sim card.

Starlink -

Absolute game changer on every level. As everyone says. There are some potential downsides. Brings the world to the boat while trying to get away from it. Besides the existential issues I cannot image not having it at this point. Between forecasting, trip planning, research, work, comms… Invaluable. Just the safety net this brings to boat alone is irreplaceable. It could potentially replace most of the devices on the boat. I think it comes down to reliability and where you think Starlink is at the moment. As sailors we like redundancies. Hence keeping the Inreach active and the Iridum stowed for the next passage.. At $200.00 a month the cost to reward is an absolute no brainer. Obviously this stays.

Predict Wind Service -

With no long passages on the horizon I have downgraded to Standard from the Professional. This goes from $499.00 a year to $249.00 A year. *Standard is lowest plan you can go to get the unique tracking page hosted by Predict Wind.

Now

$30.00 a Month ESIM

$34.99 for Garmen Inreach (Recreation Plan)

$200 a month for Starlink (Global Plan)

$24.00 a month for Predict Wind Forecasting

Way Better - $288.99 a month

Hope someone else finds this info helpful. Or I would love any input! Just my thoughts I have gathered over the last two years. Everyone does it different. Fair winds.