Here's my article from the January '14 Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle-

The information is slanted toward the PNW. Note there's a phone number you can call for forecasts on demand.

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Channeling Rooney!
Just imagine the late Andy Rooney in his best cranky, curmudgeonly voice as you read below. For the rest who don't remember Rooney, suffice to say:
{RANT ON}

Don't you just HATE it when you tune in the marine weather channel on your marine VHF and you find you're in the part of the cycle where they're reporting the current weather in EVERY Pacific Northwest city, and at EVERY lighthouse and EVERY weather buoy? And all you wanted was the marine forecast! Well, I do.

And it just gets worse! You turn down the volume to stave off a mutiny. Then you get distracted and miss the next weather forecast and must start over with an empty glass of scotch and earphones on. Has that ever happened to you?

Why can't they just publish a schedule so we can tune in only to the report we want?
{RANT OFF}

Well Andy, we all just need to get over it. There IS no schedule and there WILL BE NO schedule. The reports vary in length so they simply get repeated when done. How come everyone complains about the weather reports but no one does anything about it?

We live in the world of everything-on-demand, so why not Marine-Weather-On-Demand? Funny I should ask. We CAN!

As long as one is within cellphone range, and most of us are while cruising locally, instant marine forecasts are a simple phone call away.

Weather Phone Information
Call any one of these numbers (save them on your phone right now before you forget!)

(206) 526-8530
(206) 526-6087
(360) 357-6453

When your call connects, press

1) Forecasts

2) Marine, then choose from:

1) Puget Sound and Hood Canal

2) Admiralty Inlet

3) Strait of Juan de Fuca

4) Northern Inland Waters

including the San Juans

5) Washington Coastal Waters

After the automated attendant answers, you don't need to wait for the voice menu prompts. You could press 121 in quick succession to hear the Puget Sound and Hood Canal forecast. Simple as that. There are more choices available in the phone menu tree so listen to it or check out the URL listed below for more information. Even Andy Rooney would have to give grudging approval!

For more info on weather by phone see:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/WeatherPhone.php

If you have internet access you can read the same forecasts here:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/west/sewmz.htm
Phone numbers for B.C. marine forecasts are listed in the Waggoner Cruising Guide.

Andy says, "Happy New Year and stop being such a grouch."