An overview of 10 mobile apps every yachtsman needs
Denis Korablev
  • 14.10.2020
  • 325

An overview of 10 mobile apps every yachtsman needs

Like the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Earth, yachtsmen are accustomed to smartphones and, whenever possible, use the functions of mobile equipment for more comfortable, convenient and safe boat control. 2yachts specialists have selected ten useful applications for smartphones running iOS and Android.

Navionics Boating

The program is one of the most popular among sailors, making it easier for yachtsmen to navigate, with the most detailed maps for various waters. In the application, you can plan and save routes, if necessary, leave your comments, as well as determine the distance between the selected points.

The application functions both on a computer and on smartphones and tablets. The subscription is paid, its cost ranges from 1,000 to 5,000 rubles, Internet access is required to download maps, and navigation is performed using the GPS module. In general, Navionics Boating is a very handy mobile program that allows you to monitor the progress of the yacht and plan routes.

The application provides detailed nautical charts that can be used to organize fishing, boat trips, sailing, diving and other water activities. In the application, you can receive daily and hourly weather forecasts, get information about the state of the wind, receive information from meteorological buoys, as well as about tides and currents.

You can share the zipped files in GPX format with your friends. If necessary, you can put markers on the selected places or mark your location with one touch. It's also easy to sync markers, routes and tracks between mobile devices.

Geotagged photos and videos can be displayed on the map. This application already has millions of users around the world and they like the reliability of the application, technical support on all issues regarding the operation of the program and constant updates and improvements introduced by the developers.

Windfinder

The application is designed to work on devices running iOS and Android and is designed to receive detailed wind and weather forecasts, with the help of which it will not be difficult for you to find the right location for sailing, surfing, windsurfing , fishing, kitesurfing and other sports. Forecasts are based on data from the Global Forecast System (GFS) in 27 km increments, in the purchased paid version the forecasts are more accurate - in increments of up to 12 km.

Windfinder provides the yachtsman with information about the strength of the wind and even its gusts, the temperature of the air masses on the underlying surface, the height of the waves, fogs, rains and currents. Windfinder provides tide forecasts for over 8,000 locations around the planet, wind forecasts for over 40,000 locations, and displays current weather changes in real time from over 20,000 weather stations.

Users can customize and save in favorites the desired places and monitor the weather while traveling to selected destinations. Favorites and settings are automatically saved to the cloud storage, so you won't have any problems reinstalling the program on a new device. If necessary, the program will notify you of the occurrence of suitable conditions on the route by notification. Information can be presented both in tabular form and on an animated visual map, the image is optimized for viewing on the go from any mobile device.

Windy

The application provides a detailed weather and wind forecast for any location on the map of the planet. Windy is distributed free of charge, and the submission of information is very visual, accurate and convenient. On the animated map, users can set a geo-location and access the weather forecast by the hour, find out the forecast for 10 days, as well as view the current weather information. You can check the weather nearby, at selected points and places around the planet. Enjoy an interactive HD wind map that can serve as a real weather radar for fans of yachting, sailing and kiting.

The database contains over 30,000 locations, from which you can choose your own and add to Favorites, and you can communicate with other athletes through specially created local chats.

C-Map Plan2Nav

The application functions on the basis of C-Map vector maps used in familiar chartplotters. The device displays a map with a digital compass and information about the ship's speed, heading, latitude and longitude of the current position. In addition, Plan2Nav shows weather forecast information for selected locations, wind speed and direction, and wave height.

If you do not want to pay for the paid version of the program right away, you can use the free trial version to evaluate the convenience of the interface and understand the various functionality of the program, which includes recording and displaying the path traveled, planning and editing routes, viewing photos from a bird's eye view, calculating tides and currents, etc. The Plan2Nav app is popular with small boat sailors, from seasoned sailors to beginners. Undoubtedly, Plan2Nav will help make your vacation more comfortable, safe and productive.

Navily

Navily is a complete and innovative cruise guide. The application database has over 15,000 marinas and anchorages, over 60,000 photos and comments from a community of over 300,000 users worldwide.

With Navily you can select and book more than 700 marinas across Europe, chat with other users via the chat app, and receive notifications about anchorages at the moment.

In the event of an emergency, has an SOS function to alert community members. The app is available in German, French, Italian and Spanish and automatically translates all information into the language of your choice.

Tides Planner

The Tides Planner app is designed to work with tides. The device displays detailed data, including minimum maximum depths, moon phases, sunset and sunrise times, and more. Extensive program functionality includes charts, weekly tide table, depth on a map, standard harbor information, spring and tide dates, note-taking and e-mail, currents in the seas of European countries and much other.

Commander Compass Go

The application is an improved version of the conventional digital compass. Commander Compass Go can work offline, is distributed free of charge, and to get acquainted with all the functionality of the program, you can use the free demo version. The application is able to find the current coordinates of the vessel and display them on a digital map, navigate by heavenly bodies, calculate speed, altitude, and also save your waypoints on the map.

The Commander Compass Go functionality includes a gyrocompass with various modes and methods of calibration, a tracker-navigator that allows you to save points on a digital map and simply find them according to the instructions of the program, a GPS module, a speedometer, an altimeter, maps, etc. navigation by the stars.

Nodes Reference

The program was developed by marine specialists and is used for demonstration on the screen with the help of visual illustrations of the method of tying more than a hundred knots.

Various sites are categorized by type of use, and the application is free.

Here you can find reference information on the different types of knots that can be useful for a variety of occasions - from simple shoe lacing to fishing and yachting.

Anchor Alarm

The Anchor Alarm application is a great helper for those who need to spend night time at anchorages as calmly as possible.

In the application, users can set the parameters of the danger zone, and if a wave comes at night, a strong wind blows or breaks the anchor, will wake you up with a powerful alarm. Anchor Alarm provides an accuracy of about 1 m by determining the position of the vessel on modern phones.

In Anchor Alarm, you can use Navionics navigation charts, and with the Premium option, you can set up sending a letter when an alarm is raised, as well as view SailGrib WR charts. The app uses a minimum of battery power while running in the background.

Marine Traffic

The application serves as a monitoring tool, displaying the current position of ships and yachts around the world. The functionality of the paid program allows you to see data on the current wind speed and receive a wind forecast on the map two days ahead, watch the animated display of the yacht route, see the arrival and departure times of ships for more than 4,000 ports around the world, view photos of various ships, ports and lighthouses and much more. By interacting with the largest network of AIS receivers, Marine Traffic covers most of the major ports and busy shipping routes.

If you are interested in yacht charter in a certain region - you can always contact our specialists by phone and clarify the most relevant and profitable options that exist on the yacht market at this time. You will be provided with comprehensive support from 2yachts specialists for the period of vessel selection and registration.