Sailing in the Mediterranean Episode 276 Jon Bilger founder of PredictWind Jon Bilger  Bio: One might say the seas are in PredictWind Founding Director Jon Bilger’s genes. The son of a triple Olympian sailor, Jon set sail at the age of eight, traveling with his father to attend regattas around the world. Jon carried the family legacy forward, sailing on to become an Olympian in his own rite as well as a two-time America’s Cup winner and New Zealand National Champion in multiple classes.   As a lifelong competitive yachtsman, Jon knows how dangerous sudden weather changes can be. A seemingly benign thunderstorm event forced Jon and his crew to sail with a jury-rigged broken mast for the final 10 days of a Transpacific race, underscoring the importance of reliable, accurate, and remotely accessible weather forecasting. After spending 10-years on the America’s Cup scene, including serving as Weather Team Manager for the Swiss team and Navigator for the TAG Heuer team and utilizing the best forecasting technology in the industry, Jon was determined to make this private technology available to the public at large to help prevent dangerous, potentially life-threatening situations at sea.   PredictWind is a passion project driven by Jon’s desire to keep sailors of all ilks as safe and prepared as possible. Thirteen years in the making, PredictWind provides the most accurate and reliable wind and marine forecasting tools available, at a price every seaman can afford. Today PredictWind serves nearly a million users and Jon considers his company the lighthouse keeper of the world, offering accurate forecasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to anywhere on the planet.   Jon holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Auckland. When he’s not working, you’ll find him wind foiling, kite foiling, or wing foiling with his wife and two daughters.  https://www.predictwind.com/   Please Consider supporting the podcast in Patreon If you have ideas for future podcasts or comments please drop me a note! and PLEASE rate my podcast in iTunes and perhaps write a note. link https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sailing-in-the-mediterranean/id566678892?mt=2 https://www.medsailor.com/ If you're interested in my sailing instructional audio series here are the links: Sailing! Learn to Sail: Basic Keelboat Certification Lessons for the ASA 101 Exam https://gumroad.com/l/Eiig Sailing! Learn to Sail: Basic Coastal Cruising; Lessons for the ASA 103 Exam https://gumroad.com/l/PvOYK Sailing! Learn To Sail: Bareboat Cruising Certification Lessons for the ASA 104 Exam https://gumroad.com/l/bwXh Sailing in the Mediterranean Website https://www.medsailor.com If you would like to be a guest or have suggestions for future episodes or if you would like Franz to be a speaker at your Sailing Club or fundraiser please feel free to contact me.