As every cruiser knows, dragging anchor is, well, a drag, particularly if you are off the boat exploring a new landfall. Well, now, there\u2019s an app for that.<\/p>\n
At the end of May, the New Zealand firm Predictwind, which has more than a million users worldwide, introduced a new app called Anchor Alert that lets boat owners monitor their boat\u2019s anchored position remotely on a smart phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnchor Alert is built for essential peace of mind, and its seamless integration with the\u00a0Predict<\/span>Wind DataHub truly sets it apart,\u201d says Jon Bilger,\u00a0Predict<\/span>Wind Founder. \u201cThis combination delivers unparalleled remote monitoring, a comprehensive real-time dashboard, and pinpoint N2K accuracy, ensuring you know instantly if your anchor moves to take action quickly and avoid danger.\u201d<\/p>\n Predictwind is a weather and routing provider for sailors and is considered by many to\u00a0 be the most advanced software in its category. In combination with satellite communications, sailors can have in-depth weather forecasts and routing information aboard their boats anywhere and in real time.<\/p>\n The new Anchor Alert app synchronizes with the Predictwind platform and displays live data on your boat\u2019s position, the wind speed and direction, water depth and more.\u00a0 The only catch is that you have to leave your marine electronics switched on when you leave the boat so the Data Hub can harvest the information and pass it along to the app.<\/p>\n This is no small innovation. In the age of smart phones and satellite comms, it seems an inevitable app. And, there are times when I would have killed to have this technology.<\/p>\n Notably, once at the Greek Island of Sifnos during a Meltemi, we anchored our boat, Clover<\/em>, snugly at the head of the harbor and went ashore for the morning. Riding on the bus back to the harbor, we caught a glimpse of Clover<\/em> out in the middle of the harbor and dragging backwards slowly toward the open sea.<\/p>\n When we got to the quay, we jumped into the dinghy and raced out to the boat which was still dragging. We got aboard, raised the anchor, which was fouled with sea grass,\u00a0 and \u00a0re-anchored in an even more secure spot.<\/p>\n