Model - Key facts 

New model - Key facts 

The Course to Hobart has distinct stages. 

Are you entering the 2021 Vineyard Race?

The complex strong tidal currents at the eastern end of Long Island Sound can be challenging for even the most experienced race navigators.

Key questions need to be considered. Will you depart Long Island Sound via The Race, Plum Gut, or The Sluiceway? What are your tactics for the return back into Long Island Sound on the way home? How you negotiate these complex and strong tidal currents could be the difference between a good race and a Great Race. 

Fortunately, Tidetech has accurate high-resolution tidal current forecast models for the entire course available in GRIB format. This allows you to make the best navigation decisions giving you more time to simply sail fast and gain an advantage over your closest competitors. 

The prestigious Rolex Fastnet Race is just a few weeks away, and competitors who have the most accurate data on hand will be able to make the best possible decisions for the fastest route.
The Fastnet is genuinely a navigators' race, as it challenges competitors to negotiate some very tricky tidal situations - such as whether to head offshore for pressure or tuck inshore to avoid the worst of an adverse tide. This year's race is exciting because it's finishing in France for the first time, and the last section involves negotiating the notorious Alderney Race, with currents of up to 9 kts.

We are very pleased to release a new model of Chesapeake Bay in time for the Annapolis to Newport Race! Sourced from NOAA the model covers the entire bay in incredible detail, showing for the first time the complexity of the currents everywhere in the Bay from Annapolis to Cape Charles, including the Potomac River.

Due to high demand we have released a limited edition high resolution tidal model for Narragansett bay and Rhode island Sound in time for the Rolex New York Yacht Club Race Week.  The region covered includes all racing areas in the Bay and to the South at 110 m resolution at 60 minute intervals.

Data is available as GRIBs or PDF images like the ones below, for the North and South race areas.

We are very excited to release our new model of Long Island Sound. With a resolution of 110m the model covers whole Sound in incredible detail, showing for the first time how the tidal currents flow around key locations across the region.

Each year the Sydney-Hobart yacht race seems to get bigger and bigger, this year for the 75th anniversary 163 boats are registered to compete, the largest cohort since 1994. Who will get line honours? Which boats will win the different classifications? And which boat will claim overall victory? In all classifications the winner will be determined by a combination of skilled sailing, and a bit of luck.

How tricky currents play a part in the closing stages of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race

The last few miles of a Sydney to Hobart race has often determined the ultimate winner. Capricious, shifty wind and 'bullets' - gusts that come screaming down the steep hillsides lining the course are often to blame. Not to mention the notorious night time 'shut-down' - where the wind disappears entirely.

The role of currents here has been overlooked - most likely because little information has been publicly available. This is set to change thanks to a new hydrodynamic model produced by the Coastal Environmental Modelling Team at CSIRO which Tidetech will be making available for the Sydney, Melbourne and Launceston to Hobart races this year as part of a package of Grib files and analyses.