Tuning the Sail Brief
Shape the AI-written Sail Brief with local-knowledge notes and good club settings.
The Sail Brief is the short, AI-written advisory members see before a sail. You don't write it by hand, but what you configure as admin directly shapes how useful and accurate it is.
What feeds the brief
For each upcoming sail, Zeil assembles:
- the weather forecast for the sail's time and your club's home location,
- the boat's specs and characteristics,
- the crew and skipper assigned, and
- your club's local-knowledge notes.
Get the inputs right and the brief gets noticeably better.
Local-knowledge notes
These notes (in Club settings) are your lever. Good notes describe what a forecast alone can't know:
- Hazards — shoals, rocks, fixed obstructions, no-go zones.
- Tides and current — where and when they matter near your waters.
- Local wind effects — gusts off a headland, an afternoon sea breeze, a funnel between landmasses.
- Channels and traffic — ferry routes, narrow entrances, right-of-way quirks.
- Seasonal notes — anything that changes through the year.
Write them as plain, specific guidance. Concrete beats vague: "Strong ebb against a southerly builds a short chop off the point" is far more useful than "watch the currents."
Keep the settings honest
Two club settings underpin every brief:
- Home location — without it, there's no forecast and no brief.
- Timezone — so the brief talks about the right time of day, including sunset.
See Club settings.
It's still advisory
However well you tune it, the Sail Brief is a preparation aid, not an authority. Make sure your members understand the skipper remains responsible for the go/no-go decision and crew safety.