Gill Instruments’ MaxiMet Compact Weather Station has been chosen to provide weather data across one of the UK’s busiest stretches of water.

Working in collaboration with Rock Seven, Hydrosphere and the ABP Port of Southampton, a new weather website has been launched to support safety and voyage planning for users of the Solent. The website reports the real-time conditions from data captured on the Calshot Spit Light Float and is available for both professional and recreational users.

The Solent is a major shipping route for passenger, freight and military vessels carrying over 42 million tonnes of cargo each year. Recreational water sports including yachting also populate the water, as it hosts the annual Cowes Week sailing event.

The Solent divides the Isle of Wight from the mainland and has a complex tidal pattern, known as a “double high tide” which varies the width of the water by an additional one to four miles, extending the tidal window when deep-draught ships can dock.

Gill’s MaxiMet GMX600 is used to provide superior real-time meteorological data to provide current weather conditions affecting the water and tide levels. The weather station sits at the top of the float and is integrated into Rock Seven’s RockFLEET vessel tracking and communication system, reporting data on wind direction, speed, air temperature, humidity and precipitation.

The Calshot Spit float is a collaboration of the best instrumentation from local organisations to create a high profile weather float. It is managed by ABP Southampton and alongside MaxiMet is fitted with instrumentation from Hydrosphere, with satellite technology provided by Rock Seven.

The new Solent weather website is now live to browse via www.rock7.com/wind

For more information on how MaxiMet Weather Stations can be used for superior meteorological measurement please contact 01590 613500.