NEWS AND NOTES
Blue Water Sailing
May 27, 2010
Cruising Compass Reviews Navimatics with ActiveCaptain for iPhone/iPad
This past week, Navimatics' iPhone and iPad apps - Charts&Tides, was released by Apple. The app includes full, integrated, offline and synchronized support for ActiveCaptain..
Needless to say, Jeffrey Siegel, ActiveCaptains' creator is thrilled with the new partnership.
"It puts the entire ActiveCaptain database of marinas, anchorages, bridges, boat ramps, hazards, etc., plus all the reviews and comments in your pocket. No Internet connection required once the data has been downloaded. Having hazard markers instantly available is enough to make this an important companion at your helm. You'll see."
We did see just how amazing this new Marine Chart Plotter app is and how useful now that you can access all the data that users have added to ActiveCaptain. Do you wish you could get the low-down on anchorages? Using Charts&Tides with ActiveCaptain loaded, you can get ratings on Current, Holding, Scenery, Shopping, Wind and Waves including reviews by real cruisers and boaters just like you. You can set waypoints and track your route.
You can also view screens in either Day or Night mode.
Screenshot (iPhone)
"Day" and "Night" chart view.
Ability to lock "North up" or "Track up".
Measure distances using the "Ruler" tool.
It provides regions of seamless, quilted NOAA vector charts along with full offline support for ActiveCaptain's data. This is the first mobile software to include the full offline ActiveCaptain integration joining Coastal Explorer, MaxSea Time Zero, Furuno, and Nobeltec. These partnerships along with the people accessing the free ActiveCaptain web site bring the number of boaters viewing this data to over 100,000.
When used on an iPhone or iPad, it provides an incredible guidebook with marinas, anchorages, bridges, boat ramps, inlets, towing facilities, West Marine locations - thousands of boating-related points of interest. All of the items reside locally on the iPhone/iPad. No internet connection is required once the data is downloaded. When an internet connection is available, one tap of the Update button will synchronize the offline data with the ActiveCaptain servers providing the latest information and reviews for all of the items that changed.
A favorite features is the ability to navigate to waypoints using a Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI). This instrument is usually found in aircraft and graphically helps you stay on your course. You can use your fingers on the iPhone or iPad touch screen to turn the image or keep True North up. Navimatics also added 3D Bathymetry to give you that birds-eye view. Charts&Tides provides access to current weather conditions through the NDBC (National Data Buoy Center) Station network.
Screenshot (iPad)
Main chart view. This screenshot is from the Ballard locks and Shilshole marina in the area of Seattle. The "compass rose" at the bottom is the Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) instrument. It shows current track, desired track and cross track error in a single display.
The Apple App Store has Charts&Tides+ available for $19.99 in three versions - East Coast, Gulf Coast, and West Coast. Each region has large overlap areas. The East Coast covers from Maine to the Keys and the entire west coast of Florida. The Gulf Coast covers the entire state of Florida to Texas. The West Coast covers the entire west coast, Alaska, and Hawaii. A Great Lakes region is under development and awaiting approval.
For more information - search Navimatics or "Charts&Tides" in the Apple App Store or go to: http://navimatics.com.
Note: You will need to have an account with ActiveCaptain to use the overlay feature with Charts&Tides. It's free to sign up! www.activecaptain.com/
