Weathernews partners with SailTimer
Marine Weather Map Animations for All Types of Recreational Boats
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada — Weathernews Inc. (WNI), the world's largest private weather intelligence provider, is proud to announce a major new partnership with SailTimer, a pioneering Canadian wireless marine electronics and big data company. Together, they will bring advanced marine weather forecasting and navigation tools to mariners across the globe, with new weather map animations in the SailTimer chartplotter app.
With shared missions to improve safety and navigation through better weather data, SailTimer and Weathernews are combining forces to deliver cutting-edge marine weather services. Weathernews has traditionally focused on weather routing for ships. In the SailTimer app for recreational boating, Weathernews forecasts will be used for map animations of waves and swell -- and soon temperature, precipitation, currents and tides -- in offshore, coastal and inland waters. The app will also include crowdsourced wind map animations, using data SailTimer can receive from its wind sensors and all other brands. This collaboration represents a unique case where a small Nova Scotia technology company is joining forces with a global industry leader.
“We are honored to work with Weathernews Inc. to bring these next-generation weather services to power boaters, sailors, kayakers and anyone on the water, wherever they are in the world,” said Craig Summers PhD, Founder and CTO of SailTimer. “When heading out in any type of vessel, it is good to know what the wind and waves are doing, for a safe and comfortable trip.”
Through this partnership, SailTimer will integrate Weathernews’ sophisticated marine weather data as a map layer inside its navigation app. This will be displayed alongside SailTimer’s crowdsourced wind maps. These are based on wind measurements from users, so are more accurate and high resolution than the traditional wind forecast based on satellite imaging. In coastal areas, the crowdsourced wind measurements are also archived, to map wind flow around land forms. The satellite forecast is too coarse to provide mapping in harbors and inland waters.
SailTimer is the only company with years of data from users on the water to create crowdsourced wind zones. Plans are also underway to display these marine-weather animations in third-party apps.
A Unique Collaboration Comes to Halifax Harbour
To officially launch this new joint venture, in June 2025, SailTimer and Weathernews met at Halifax Harbour to plan and celebrate the completion of the new map animations in iOS and Android. Halifax, Nova Scotia on Canada's east coast is the location of SailTimer's head office. A short clip of the SailTimer chartplotter app with a weather animation can be seen at www.youtube.com/embed/Su983ABj_EE
What are Weathernews’ goals for a new partnership in the recreational boating market?
As explained by Jesse Vecchione, Head of Business Development for Weathernews Americas:
”Traditionally, Weathernews has focused on cargo ships making ocean crossings. But we see that there's a lot of potential to diversify into other markets in the marine industry, including small craft, yachts, sailboats and fishing boats. While we are seeing more extreme weather, new technology is also creating new opportunities for better marine weather and navigation."
The SailTimer app is free on Android and iOS. SailTimer has the only crowdsourced wind map animation in the world. This is a major technical achievement that has been years in the making. Both the Weathernews and crowdsourced wind map animations are available for a small fee within the app, and come with a free 7-day trial.
Jesse Vecchione from Weathernews Inc. (WNI) is shown on the left with Craig Summers from SailTimer (on the right), at Halifax Harbour for the official launch of the new app collaboration.
About Weathernews Inc.
Weathernews Inc. was founded in 1986 to support safe maritime operations and has grown to become the world’s largest private weather intelligence company — a global leader in forecasting, route optimization, emission monitoring, performance monitoring, and more. We employ around 1,100 industry professionals and dedicated staff members, all united by our commitment to safety, care, and the use of cutting-edge technology to support our customers worldwide. In addition to our global network of offices, Weathernews also operates two private satellites and several advanced weather radars. Our U.S. operations include a large team of meteorologists based in Norman, Oklahoma, home to the National Weather Center.
Media Contact: joakim@wni.com
About SailTimer
The company was founded in 2005. In addition to commercializing cutting-edge technologies, SailTimer has led numerous industry R&D projects, including with the Ocean Supercluster, Net Zero Atlantic, and Research Nova Scotia. The company’s innovative work has been featured in ECO Magazine - Environment, Coastal & Offshore; Sea Technology Magazine, and the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (IMarEST). For more information, visit www.SailTimer.boats or the company's LinkedIn page.
Media Contact: info@SailTimer.co
