I happen to be an iPhone user and cannot help but being biased. I think that the iPhone is one of the best sailing gadgets ever. The iPhone has a wide array of “sailing/boating” apps. You have to sift through them to find the really good and useful ones but even so, all of them are a lot of fun. The ones that we use on a regular basis are:
iNavX marine navigation: offers US waters marine charts (Included detailed chart coverage: West Coast, Gulf Coast, East Coast, Great Lakes, Alaska, Hawaii, and Virgin Islands). It is a great app that we use all the time in US waters but you do need an iPhone 3G with GPS for it to work offshore.
AyeTides: is an app that displays tides and currents in ports worldwide. A must have!
My Radar Pro is the fastest, easiest-to-use, weather application that displays animated weather radar around your current location. Just start the app, and your location pops up with animated weather, allowing you to easily see if any significant weather is headed your way.
Anchor Alarm: Anchor Alarm is an easy to use application that lets you set and monitor your position relative to an anchor point. It shows your distance from the point, and bearing to the point. If your current position strays too far from that set point, an alert will sound.
Weather Alert Map USA: Fast, practical, and comprehensive NOAA weather app, Love this app!
ZephyrPro Wind Meter: Wind Meter works by measuring the volume of the wind on your iPhone microphone and converts it into a wind speed reading. To use, simply point the microphone into the wind! Wait a few seconds and push Got Wind! The final reading is the average of the period.
Star Walk: It allows users to easily locate and identify 20,000+ objects in the sky. The 360-degree, star map displays constellations, stars, planets, satellites, and galaxies currently overhead from anywhere on Earth. The latest update allows users to enjoy unprecedented eye candy and interactivity of the star map. *No Internet connection required. Truly a stunning app!
The following apps are not apps that we personally use often but they are good to have for beginners or charterers or people who do not get on the water on a regular basis and need a quick “refresher” on knots, rules of the road, signals and general reference.
Knot Guide: This is the #1 Knot App on iTunes with 101 knots and continuous new additions. It’s a good app for learning how to tie knots and what to use them for.
Marine Rules & Signals by Imray: This is a quick reference and learning tool or guide to rules and signals at sea for sailors, fisherman and watersports enthusiasts.
This is only a guide for our readers. There are numerous good Apps available. Let us know which ones you like and why. Leave your comments here.
