This is a pre-passage source and decision desk, not a current forecast or clearance to depart. The map is centred approximately on the area, not on your route or a forecast-zone boundary.
Sea-area bulletins and archipelago or fjord conditions have different scales. In season, check ice and sea-level products; in narrow passages also examine current and visibility, not only mean wind.
1. Primary sources
Open current bulletins and warnings for every sea area on the route. These links are starting points, not a promise that each covers the whole location; if unsure, identify the issuer through WMO–IMO.
2. Route and local effects
A cross-border Baltic leg may need two coastal bulletins and separate harbour checks.
An Estonia–Latvia coastal leg crosses a national forecast boundary and may finish in a shallow or exposed harbour.
Read both national services for the relevant Baltic sectors, then check the actual port approach and water-level information.
How to use this source set
Start with the warning, then the marine text for the exact named area. If the route crosses a zone boundary, obtain both bulletins. Note issue and valid times, wind units and the meaning of wave height. Where a link opens an agency portal, navigate to its current marine product; a homepage is not itself a forecast.
Compare with an exposed station or buoy if available. Check its position and observation time: a sheltered station does not overturn a warning for an open channel. If a bulletin is missing or stale, identify the issuing service via WMO–IMO and defer the decision until current information is available.
Before-passage check
- Mark departure, exposed legs, arrival and feasible diversions; find the responsible named marine areas for each.
- Check warnings, issue and valid times; assess conditions when you expect to reach each leg, not only at departure.
- Compare wind and gusts, waves and swell, visibility, thunderstorms and local effects; do not infer a strait from a sheltered harbour.
- Compare recent observations where available, noting their time and exposure; a mismatch calls for another check.
- Set the next bulletin check, a reassessment trigger, an alternative and a backup communication channel.
Model map — optional
Windy is a third-party model display, not the issuer of official warnings. Choose a layer and check its valid hour and model run. Nothing loads until you click.
Without JavaScript, open the map separately.
If connectivity fails
Before departure, save the current official text bulletin and warning with issue time. Arrange another way to receive updates, such as an appropriate coastal broadcast, NAVTEX or satellite channel. A saved map cannot replace new warnings.
How to choose weather tools · All sailing areas
Scope: Source list assembled 25 September 2026; check its freshness and coverage before use. This public area guide is not a current personalised forecast, navigational notice service or safety verdict. Personalised forecasts with AI and experts are in closed testing; public booking is not open. The skipper makes the decision.
Väinameri, Gulf of Riga and outer coast differ
A Saaremaa-to-Latvia itinerary should identify sheltered island water, open Gulf of Riga exposure and the selected coastal approach separately. Read the relevant Estonian named marine sector, then the Latvian marine service for the destination leg. A regional Baltic display does not erase a change in coastal issuer or the actual direction of wave access at the harbour. Compare the overlapping times, not two national homepages.
- Estonian marine text forecast — Named northern Baltic, gulf and Väinameri sectors; inspect actual validity. Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
- Latvian marine data portal — Marine layers and text forecast entry point; dynamic content not fully retrievable. Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
A model level and an observed level are not the same
The Estonian model guidance states that its level field is in EH2000 and is not a substitute for observations. Match a usable coastal measurement to the intended approach, with timestamp and chart reference. For the Latvian portal, ensure the displayed time is available and the text/layer has actually loaded; an empty dynamic map must not become a current zero or an all-clear in an automated brief.
- Estonian Environment Agency sea level — Model sea level and coastal observation distinction; EH2000 reference is explicitly stated.
- Latvian marine data portal
Check the destination under the new direction
If a forecast wind change arrives during the coastal leg, reassess the destination's wave exposure rather than assuming yesterday's sheltered anchorage remains suitable. Compare slower ETA, visibility and usable local water information before committing to the final approach. An inner island detour can change navigation workload even if it reduces fetch. Keep national port and navigation notices separate, and explicitly list any source that could not be obtained.
- Estonian marine text forecast
- Latvian marine data portal
- RYA passage planning — Practitioner guidance on contingency, tides, vessel and crew constraints.
Editorial review of this material: 27 September 2026. This date concerns the page content; check current forecast issue times and validity at the original sources.