About Us
What We Do
Marine Weather Center provides high-value-added forecasts geared specifically for small (typically 30’-65’, but some larger & smaller) sail & power vessels, with the information you need to support good tactical decision-making.
MWXC provides these forecasts on an economical Annual, Monthly, or per-forecast basis, and by the communications method(s) you prefer, including SSB Voice, email, phone, or fax. MWXC also simulcasts SSB Nets on an Internet Webcast.
Forecast Philosophy
Weather forecasters tend to be opinionated, and some might say arrogant bunch - we like to be right. We see technical forecast discussions time and time again which mention the possibility / plausibility for severe weather, but, since the forecaster’s objective is to be "right" (to produce a single forecast with the greatest chance of being correct) - they fail to warn forecast recipients of potentially severe weather.
We have a different objective - we try to make sure you are not surprised by the weather - especially that you're not surprised by inclement weather. Occasionally that means our forecasts for inclement weather fail to verify - but we'd much rather have it that way than to have clients surprised by nasty weather.
Of course, we can't anticipate all inclement weather, and we encourage clients to use as many forecast sources as they wish. We encourage dialogue. You need to make weather-based decisions, so you need to understand the weather situation. If you do not understand, please ask. If our forecast differs from other forecasts, feel free to ask why.
Our Team
Chris Parker
As a youngster, Chris enjoyed boating with his dad and bought his first boat at age 12. He forecasted the weather each day during 3rd grade through high school and then studied Meteorology for two years at Lyndon State College in Vermont.
Chris lived aboard full-time for 12 years with his partner, Michael Zidziunas, and Wizard the cat and they cruised full-time for five years, visiting the Bahamas, Caribbean, Bermuda, and most of the US east coast. They traveled an average of 5,000 miles each year, while burning only about 50 gallons of diesel. It wasn’t long until cruising friends realized his special skill at marine weather forecasting. Since then he has presented more than 30 seminars to various groups.
In 2003, Chris became Chief Forecaster for the Caribbean Weather Center and started Marine Weather Center in December 2011, providing weather forecasting and routing advice to small yachts. Chris is the author of Coastal and Offshore Weather: The Essential Handbook.
Chris “Stormy” Stickle
Chris "Stormy" Stickle joined the operation during the fall of 2015. He graduated from Virginia Tech in the spring of 2015 with a B.S. in Meteorology and also holds a B.A. in Geography from Old Dominion University. He sailed from Norfolk to the Virgin Islands over two weeks during the fall of 2015. While Stormy prefers tropical weather, he has been storm chasing in the Great Plains and came face-to-face with a historic tornado in Simla, Colorado in 2015.
Shawn Rosenthal
Shawn Rosenthal joined the team during the summer of 2018. He graduated with a B.S. in Meteorology from Virginia Tech, where he excelled in forecasting. He has a variety of meteorological and marine experiences, including a sailing trip from New England to the Chesapeake and a storm chase in the Great Plains. Shawn has always had a keen interest in severe weather, especially winter storms and tropical cyclones, but never complains about a sunny 70 degree day.
Laura Kee
Laura Kee joined the crew in March of 2022. After graduating with a B.S in Atmospheric Science from Cornell University in 2019, she interned at the "Home of the World's Worst Weather" on the Mt. Washington Observatory in NH where she loved getting to experience intense and exciting weather (such as being outside in 130 mph wind!) Her love of meteorology stems from growing up in Massachusetts and experiencing a wide range of seasons, in addition to learning how to sail on Long Island, NY on a small daysailer that has been in her family for over 50 years. She loves gardening and working at a farm stand on Long Island and always enjoys a good summertime thunderstorm.
Matthew Bostrom
Matthew Bostrom is the newest addition to the team. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a B.S. in Meteorology. Originally from Michigan and now living in Florida, Matthew grew up experiencing all sorts of weather events, from winter storms to hurricanes. He’s always had a passion for weather, but Hurricane Irma, in 2017, is what made Matthew decide to pursue a career in weather forecasting. Since then, he’s been actively growing in various aspects of forecasting. Most recently, he was storm chasing across the plains in an effort to learn more about supercell thunderstorms.
