I am new to Buoyweather. What is the best way to get started?
The best thing to do is take a complete tour. Go to the regional page nearest to your location and click a Virtual Buoy you would use most. The new web site has everything you need on this regional page. All 7 day forecasts, charts, buoy reports and satellites relevant to your Virtual Buoy point are there. Start clicking all the links on the left so you know what is available.

How do I customize my weather menu?
The first thing to do is pick a Buoyweather entry page. After you have taken a complete tour of the site, ask yourself "what do I want to see first when I log on?". It may be a seven day forecast, buoy report, web cam, a weather chart etc.. There is no need to go through the home page every time. Find the page you want to see first and save to your browsers favorites list. Use this as your entry to Buoyweather. After you have saved this page, add it to your Buoyweather favorites menu. Every content page has a link at the top that says "Add to your Buoyweather favorites". Click that and name your point.

There are literally millions of possible forecasts and charts available to customize on Buoyweather. Whenever you find a display you would like to use in the future, add it to your Buoyweather favorites menu. You'll see your favorites list first thing as you enter Buoyweather.

I live on a remote island in the Pacific and it is not listed in the Buoyweather regions. Can I get a forecast here?
We have forecasts for every point on the globe. On the Buoyweather regions menu, click the "Custom Location" option. Use the Google map to find your point and click on your location. Then click the "Detailed 7 day marine forecast" link in the balloon. All the forecasts and charts are now centered on you! You'll probably want to adjust the time zone before you bookmark the page as your own region. Use the "add to Buoyweather favorites" feature to create your own custom weather station designed around your personal weather needs.

How can I change the location of a Virtual Buoy?
There are two ways. First navigate to the nearest region and click the closest Virtual Buoy to your desired location. If you know the latitude and longitude of the new point you want, use the form on the left to enter the coordinates in decimal format(not degrees, minutes, seconds). A minus sign is used to indicate southern latitudes and western longitudes. If you do not know the exact lat/long of your desired new point, click the link on the top left "Custom Virtual Buoy" and follow the directions there for using the Google map.

How do I customize the wave and weather charts?
The idea behind the new charting system is for you to make your own chart boundaries and add them to your Buoyweather favorites list for future use. Every regional page now has a section for "Custom Weather Charts". The links here are just a starting point. These options include Virtual Buoy centered charts or some pre-set boundaries of oceanic regions. Select the chart area you want to see. From there you should zoom in/out and change the chart center for your specific needs. When it is aligned the way you want with the chart variable you desire, add it you your Buoyweather favorites. The zoom in/out buttons are in the chart menu. To change the center, use the form on the left to alter the current VB position. This will adjust the center of the chart, or any other lat/long based display, you are looking at.