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.
This is a geographic source directory, not an indication that a passage is permissible. Check current maritime restrictions, port-authority instructions and navigation warnings independently of the weather forecast.
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
Bulgarian and Romanian coastal legs require current local marine information.
Western Black Sea coastal legs can run along Bulgarian or Romanian waters with different warning issuers.
Use NIMH for Bulgaria and the Romanian national portal for its coast, confirming whether a marine bulletin is available; check current port and navigation restrictions independently.
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.
Varna/Burgas and Constanța need different source checks
A western Black Sea plan should separate the Bulgarian coastal leg, any cross-border section and Romanian arrival. NIMH's marine entry is the Bulgarian starting point; Romania's national portal is an official weather source, but this review did not verify a freely accessible current marine bulletin there. Do not substitute a Romanian city forecast for the missing sea product. Use WMO issuer discovery and current port information to resolve coverage gaps.
- Bulgarian NIMH marine entry point — Bulgarian marine-service entry point; live page timed out in this review. Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
- Romanian National Meteorological Administration — Official weather portal; a freely accessible current marine bulletin was not verified. Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
- WMO–IMO marine warning directory — METAREA issuer discovery; products may be delayed, national issuer remains authoritative.
An onshore sea can affect the final approach
Compare the forecast sea direction with the harbour mouth and exposed coastal stretch. A lighter shore wind does not settle the wave conditions at an entrance after a previous onshore period. Keep basin-scale current context separate from local harbour flow. A sheltered station or nearby beach report should be labelled by its location and time; it is not route-wide observation evidence or proof that a port is open.
- MGM daily marine text — Separate east/west Turkish Black Sea and Marmara sectors with time periods.
- Bulgarian NIMH marine entry point
Resolve the source gap before calling the brief complete
In a Bulgaria–Romania scenario, test slower arrival and confirm a local issue valid for the approach. If the official marine text cannot be obtained, state the unresolved input rather than inferring 'no warning' from a weather app. Reassess before the last usable coastal refuge when sea direction, visibility or port status changes. Navigation restrictions and permission remain independent checks, regardless of an attractive wind comparison.
- WMO–IMO marine warning directory
- Romanian National Meteorological Administration
- 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.