WindFinder
Where Windy excels at big-picture weather modelling, WindFinder shines at a specific location. It combines real weather station data with high-resolution forecasts to give you accurate spot conditions — exactly what you need when deciding whether to leave a harbour or wait another day.
Quick Facts
- Price: Free (Pro from ~$10/year)
- Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
- Best for: Coastal spots, harbour decisions
- Unique strength: Real station data overlays
What Makes It Different
Real Station Data
WindFinder has an extensive network of weather stations — anemometers at harbours, marinas, beaches, and headlands. You can see what the wind is doing right now at your exact spot, not just what a model predicts. This is invaluable for deciding whether to anchor, reef, or stay put.
Superforecast
WindFinder's proprietary "Superforecast" blends multiple model outputs with local corrections. For coastal locations with tricky topography (narrow channels, headlands, funnelling valleys), it often outperforms raw model data because it accounts for local effects that global models miss.
Forecast Tables
Rather than Windy's animated map approach, WindFinder presents data as clear, scrollable tables — hour-by-hour wind speed, direction, gusts, temperature, and wave height. Some sailors prefer this for quick decision-making: you can scan a full week at a glance without scrubbing a timeline.
WindFinder vs Windy
| Scenario | Use WindFinder | Use Windy |
|---|---|---|
| Checking harbour conditions | Best choice | Good, but less local |
| Planning a 5-day passage | Supplement only | Best choice |
| Comparing weather models | Limited | Best choice |
| Real-time wind at a spot | Best choice | Station data less prominent |
| Wave and swell analysis | Basic | Best choice |
| Quick go/no-go decision | Best choice | Good |
Tips for Sailors
Bookmark your regular spots. Save the harbours and anchorages you visit often. The forecast page for a saved spot loads instantly — perfect for a quick morning check.
Check station history, not just forecasts. WindFinder shows recent station readings alongside the forecast. If the station currently shows 20 knots but the forecast said 12, you know the model is under-predicting — and it might keep doing so.
Use the wind rose for harbour approaches. WindFinder shows historical wind roses for most stations — the distribution of wind direction and speed over months or years. This is incredibly useful when choosing which side of an island to anchor.
Combine with Windy. The best approach is to use Windy for the big picture and passage planning, then switch to WindFinder for the final go/no-go call at your specific location.
Free vs Pro
Free
- Superforecast for most spots
- 3-hourly data for 7 days
- Real station readings
- Wind roses and statistics
- Contains ads
Pro (~$10/year)
- 1-hourly forecast resolution
- Extended 10-day forecasts
- Ad-free experience
- Better map overlays
- Priority weather alerts