This manual provides a practical guide for anyone who is concerned with drafting navigational warnings or with the issuance of meteorological forecasts and warnings under the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). It is essential to present timely and relevant meteorological forecasts and warnings in a consistent format that is clear, unambiguous and brief. Within this manual, it is particularly intended to provide the best form of words for use in all types of navigational warnings and meteorological forecasts and warnings that are required to be broadcast in the English language. This manual cannot provide specimen texts for every type of event which may occur. However, the principles that are illustrated may be applied in general to drafting messages for every kind of navigational warning and covering all types of hazards and for the issuance of meteorological forecasts and warnings.