 Weather Forecasts
BBC Weather Amongst other services, 5-day forecasts for whichever location around the British Isles you choose. Click on 'Coast and Sea' in the left margin for shipping forecasts, inshore water forecasts and 24-hour coastal forecasts.
BBC Weather chart of isobars There are also other useful overlays onto the British Isles map, eg Visible Satellite, through this link.
Find a Fishing Boat - contains many good links to international websites. Choose 'Weather and Tides' from the bar at the top of the homepage. The data buoys from NOAA are goos as they give the period of waves as well as their height - a useful judge of how rough it will feel.
Weather Online - click on 'Sports Weather' and then 'Sailing' on the left hand side and you will get wind arrows. Click on 'Great Britain' and then on your shipping area. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina seems to have wiped out the US Naval Oceanographic Center's computer that issued wave height predictions, and these are not yet back online for European detailed requirements.
The Weather Channel gives a 10-day forecast, although this is not particularly maritime.
 Wave Heights
Surfers are very interested in swell - try magicseaweed.com and click on 'UK and Ireland' at top left, then choose 'Swell Charts'.
Also try the Cornwall Guide - choose 'Surfing in Cornwall', then 'Surf Forecasts'. Under 'Surf Information Links' you will find an animated wave chart which shows wave height across the whole Atlantic.
www.buoyweather.com is a global weather service that uses 'virtual buoys' to give sea condition reports. Use the 'Custom Location' button (at the bottom of the menu on the left) to choose the precise location you want to know about.
Channel Islands
The Jersey Meteorological Department is the centre for forecasting in the Channel Islands, including Guernsey and Alderney. Click on 'Forecast' in the left margin and you can choose which of the two major islands you want to look at, and then either detailed (24-hour), 5-day (somewhat brief) or shipping forecast. Most Guernsey websites, eg the airport, link through to this.
For Guernsey data and predictions all in one place, try Guernsey Weather & Remote Imaging, some of which covers the British Isles too. Most usefully, it links through to Digimap Guernsey for the opening times of the marinas in Guernsey - and if you put in your boat's draught, it will tell you when you can get in over the various sills. The Victoria is the one most visitors like to use, as it is in the centre of town.
 France
Meteo France (in French but mostly presented in symbols) is excellent - click on 'Ma Meteo' on the left to choose a region on the map, or enter a postcode. Clicking on the magnifying glass symbol, and some of the other offerings on this page will give you more detail.
Also there is Meteo Consult, which is partially free. Click on the Union flag (which will put you through to the French website, but in English), then on 'Marine' on the left, and choose your area - coastal or offshore.
Data
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts has a mass of advanced data in detail, for use by forecasters. Headings that are not italicised are freely available. The 'Deterministic Forecast' is interesting, and can be animated by clicking the 'Play' arrow in the left margin.
Precision Weather Planner is a commercial forecasting site - you have to subscribe, but a free 14-day trial is available ... it may be a bit more than the recreational sailor needs.
The Air Resources Lab of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also has some fairly sophisticated offerings.
With many thanks to Richard Crowder for the above information.
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