Today's tacticians and navigators have a wealth of weather information available to them. With this ever-expanding array of forecasting and reporting options, however, comes one key drawback—information overload. ClearPoint, a subscription weather service created by Stuart Johnstone that debuted at the America's Cup last June, is designed to distill all the available information into a format that's easier for racers to utilize.

Users download ClearPoint High Definition Weather Edition software, which provides real time and predictive data on winds, waves, fronts, sea temp, visibility, clouds, satellite, air temp, lightning, tropical storms, hurricanes,  weather bulletins, and alerts for any location in the world. Available in some locations are ultra-high resolution wind models at 1 kilometer, 5 kilometer, and 15 kilometer ranges.

ClearPoint High Definition Weather services can be downloaded over any Internet connection and launched on any laptop, tablet, or other PC-based display device or handheld computer. ClearPoint automatically feeds real time updates to these devices, integrating all applications onto a single, user-friendly screen. ClearPoint's service is compatible with virtually any communications link— including satellite connections such as Iridium and Inmarsat— providing real time detailed updates and alerts anywhere on earth.

New users pay a $100 activation fee, then $295 a year for any 30 days in the year and $10 per day thereafter for any additional days in that one-year period. The Racing Edition also has a $100 activation fee and costs $495 per year for any 30 days in the year and $16.50 per day thereafter for any additional days in that one-year period.

We've been using a couple of trial memberships provided by ClearPoint. The software was simple to download and connected to the Internet automatically. The interface is simple, with a large toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen that contains buttons for all the available data. The main screen displays a map that with zoom capabilities. Once you enter your location, High Definition Weather Edition constantly updates the local conditions, alerts, and forecasts.

We'll be using the software for local race forecasts here in Newport, R.I., and will take it on the road for the Sperry Top-Sider Texas NOOD this fall. Once we've got some experience with the system, we'll report back. Our initial reaction is that ClearPoint's High Definition Weather Edition seems like a great timesaver, and looks to be a worthy weapon for any navigator's or tactician's quiver.

www.clearpointweather.com