SAILING APPS — A
Page 88 •
Latitude 38
• November, 2018
COURTESY SEAIQ
COURTESY WINDY
COURTESY NAVIONICS
sk us why we love sailing so much and we're likely to start waxing poetic. S-63/S-57 charts for anywhere in the ing in from Fiji, Eric Sponberg of CorBecause to us, much of the allure of the world from the ChartWorld online store, roboree explains, "We use iNavX on two timeless art of sailing is that it rekindles which is what we use in the South iPads for our our connection with a simpler Pacific. navigation. It era, inspiring us to cast off the "We tested several apps and this was can use charts shackles of modernity and free a clear winner for us due to the ease of from any supourselves from the incessant use, ability to load vector charts, the plier, although clatter of machinery and the Navionics charts mind-numbing buzz of the latest seem to be the electronic gadgetry. most prevalent. Ah, that is . . . with the excepThey can make your "I really like tion of our favorite sailing apps, days on the ocean a the way you can of course. We wouldn't dream of add and edit going sailing without them! heckuva lot safer. waypoints and Seriously, no matter how salty create courses. or old-school you are, you're Yo u c a n a l s o bound to become enamored with external NMEA interface that allows us spot check your at least a few maritime apps, if for to get GPS and AIS data, and one of the distance off any no other reason than that they best anchor alarm implementations we point merely can make your days on the ocean have used. We also love the ability to by tapping the a heckuva lot safer — especially change the day/evening/night colors, screen and movwhile you're on bluewater paswhich becomes very important when ing the ends sages or when sailing in foreign sailing offshore overnight. And we love its of the pointer waters. integration with VentureFarther, which with your finWe don't profess to be experts provides satellite imagery overlays and gertips. Also, if on this subject, but there are a comes in very handy when navigating you do a goto for few popular apps we use often small reef-fringed South Pacific islands that we'd highly recommend. Although it's much more efficient to any waypoint, and atolls. And we'll also share the recom- navigate with Navionics on a chart- i t g i v e s y o u 'This app keeps us out of trouble every mendations of a variety of read- plotter, it's doable on a smartphone. instantaneous time we go sailing,' say Octavia and Petdistance to finish, bearing, time to finish, ers — some of whom are longtime world ter, "by providing accurate location and and cross-track error." cruisers. easy-to-read, scalable vector charts. Now in the Society Islands, longtime When you're traveling near shore cruisers Octavia and Petter Bergman Navigation within cell or Wi-Fi range, it's fun, inforhave cruised thousands of miles aboard As with thousands of sailors worldmative and always-fascinating to check Bella Marina, so we trust their judgment wide, Navionics is our go-to app for out the MarineTraffic app, which gives and their recommendations. both coastal and offshore navigation. It "SEAiq SEAiq is current- The powerful SEAiq app displays vec- a clean, color has a clean, cus- The immensely popular Windy app tomizable display, gives real-time and predicted, color- ly our main navi- tor and raster marine maps on your coded representation of all AIS gation app, having iPhone or iPad . whether you use it coded weather info. targets. Clicking made the transition on a built-in charton one of them from a fully integratplotter, a nav stabrings up comed Raymarine charttion computer or on plete info on all plotter system to a your smartphone. sorts of vessels. distributed network It's worth mentionAs an addiof iPhones and iPads. ing here that you tional navigaIt displays vector and could literally pilot tional aid, Nick raster marine maps your boat all the Edwards of Salt on your iPhone or way around the recommends iPad and provides an world using only a WatchMate, a intuitive, easy-to-use smartphone — alstand-alone app interface for chartthough we wouldn't for AIS offered plotter features. The recommend it — as by Vesper Mainter national ver long as you had rine. "We use it sion allows you to the ability to keep as a backup to use your own charts it charged and you our AIS integraand supports S-57, could occasionally tion into iNavX, S-63, Inland ENC, download chart and we also use and BSB/KAP for data updates. features like its mats. For USA users, iNavX seems to AIS alarm when it supports seamless be almost as popuwe're underway free downloads for lar, as a means of offshore. NOAA charts. You enhancing chart "We also use can also purchase functionality. Writ-