but stuff like what wind blows over the northeastern part of africa in summer etc etc etc is just useless
It is until some sod announces that your going there. And its not the name of it that counts it what season it is, what direction its going to be blowing in and how strong. Which can make a difference to how many tech stops you are planning and what you can expect for wx and also the routing which may mean that you have to get a HF radio fitted.