James Evenson, the offshore sailor and educator known for Sailing Zingaro, has teamed up with marine weather specialists PredictWind to create a five-part YouTube series aimed at helping sailors extract far greater value from the weather technology available to them today. The collaboration pairs Evenson's deep blue-water background with PredictWind's forecasting platform to produce something genuinely grounded in the realities of decision-making at sea.
The series carries the title "PredictWind Playbook by Sailing Zingaro," and its scope reaches well beyond a simple introduction to reading forecasts. Across five episodes, Evenson guides viewers through comparing global weather models, identifying sound departure windows, and making sense of routing data, all oriented towards planning passages that are both safer and more comfortable for those on board.
PredictWind founder Jon Bilger sees the partnership as an obvious one. "James is a long-time user of PredictWind, and we are excited to team up with him to create this educational series," he says. "This playbook goes beyond simply reading forecasts. Drawing on decades of experience and over 85,000 nautical miles offshore, James provides clear, practical advice on the capabilities of modern weather tools, helping boat owners understand what is possible when planning ahead and making confident decisions on the water."
Each of the five episodes addresses a different facet of modern passage planning. The opening instalment lays the groundwork, examining how today's weather tools help sailors and boaters build confidence in their choices out on the water. The second episode shifts from raw data to practical strategy, unpacking how to read competing forecast models and interpret routing output in a way that translates directly to planning decisions. Episode three focuses specifically on powerboat routing, demonstrating how graphs and summary tables can be used to evaluate real-world comfort levels and identify the route that best suits a given boat and crew. The fourth episode takes up situational awareness, exploring tools such as satellite AIS, GPS, and automated alerts, and how these reduce cognitive load while giving sailors more headroom to respond when conditions evolve. The final episode homes in on the PredictWind Offshore App, with particular attention to accessing preloaded critical data when bandwidth is limited and fatigue is already a factor.
The series arrives at a timely point with the sailing season now under way, offering anyone keen to use their existing forecasting resources more effectively a practical framework to draw on. Throughout the material, Evenson's approach is shaped by hands-on offshore experience, and that perspective carries through every episode.
PredictWind is recognised globally as a leading provider of marine weather forecasting solutions, bringing together advanced meteorological data and purpose-built tools for sailors and mariners who depend on accurate, reliable information at sea.
