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.
Separate the open-water leg from island lee and the arrival coast. Compare wind-sea direction with any longer-period swell; a sheltered departure harbour does not describe the next headland.
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
Compare the exposed channel with the forecast for the intended lee anchorage.
A Mallorca–Menorca crossing leaves island shelter and reaches a different approach coast; assess both ends as well as the channel.
Use the AEMET Balearic marine area, and check whether northerly swell or local acceleration changes the chosen arrival even when departure is calm.
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.
Compare both island coasts with the open leg
For a Mallorca–Menorca crossing, use the AEMET coastal selection for each relevant island side and the applicable offshore product for the middle. Name the chosen arrival coast before comparing windows: an apparently favourable departure from Mallorca may lead to a more exposed Menorca approach. Keep the warning, text forecast and animated map valid times separate; their horizons are not identical.
- AEMET Balearic coastal forecast — Balearic coastal product; text and map validity differ
- AEMET coastal and high-seas marine products — Separate coastal and high-seas selection
A harbour reading cannot clear the crossing
Use Puertos del Estado to find an available marine measurement with a position and exposure relevant to the crossing, not simply the nearest town. Compare wave direction and period as well as height, at matching times. If the departure harbour is quiet but the offshore record or bulletin shows persistent sea, do not average those situations into a falsely moderate route assessment. State which section remains without a representative measurement.
- Puertos del Estado oceanography / Portus — Buoy, gauge, radar and model services; select representative available station Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
Evaluate the revised arrival after a delay
Compare the original start with a delayed crossing using the revised Menorca ETA and forecast direction. Include the last practical reassessment before leaving Mallorca's lee and an independently checked shorter plan. A later lower wind is useful only if the open leg and approach also improve. This desk does not supply a route, harbour depth or permission to use a particular bay.
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.
- Spain
Balearics, mainland coasts and Canary ocean departures need different source sets.