Anchor Watch App

Bigplumbs

Bigplumbs

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Just downloaded this app for my Iphone (old 4S) it is an app that alerts if you drag your anchor. Helps you sleep at night. It has various alert modes including phoning another phone if you are not on the boat as of course the phone with anchor watch is on needs to be on the boat.

It was £0.99 from the app store. I am sure there is an android version as well

Might be helpful to some of you

Dennis
 
Ahh but can your chart plotter be heard when you are in the cabin asleep or text you when you are off the boat? Thats the beauty of the app. As for being more accurate I think that is a moot point.
 
I use this one for the Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.slimjimsoftware.anchoralert&hl=en

I particularly use the "point at anchor facility.
Most of the time, you haven't got time to set the alarm directly over the anchor so doing it later means the swing is more accurate.
I'm sure most apps have a feature like that.
I bet a chart plotter doesn't - and yes +1 to NOT using a chart plotter - far too much drain on the batteries.

Another feature of the app I use - it can be set up to alarm in a dangerous segment of the anchor swing.
Although I'd probably not use this for swinging into rocks, it can be helpful to be woken up if/when the boat swings through (say) 180 degrees.
In the Baldricks for example, we always get a 180 degree wind shift between dusk and dawn.

To help me sleep at night, I also use a Navis wind anemometer - feeding into the same Android phone over Bluetooth.
The wind speed increasing overnight is the first thing you will see before the anchor alarm goes off.
Here is a link to the Navis kit
http://www.navis-anemometers.com/
Note - just the anemometer - not the version with the wind vane (the vane measures angles from the direction you mount it - not mag north)
Otherwise, it is a great bit of kit and IMO not expensive.
I've mounted a boss/stud on our radar arch and the Windy just fits on top whenever we need it.
Again - no drain on the ships batteries.

Here are some pics from the Navis Windy
This is the standard display
serve.php


And this is it's history page
serve.php


And for completeness of this post here's a pic of the Anchor Alert App on my Android
In this example we were dragging badly - that pic was taken a couple of years ago - our ground tackle has since been upgraded!!

serve.php
 
Dont have a chart plotter,so anchor app is very useful.

Also as mentioned by others, the fact that it can send a text message to another phone when the anchor drags,or i can send the app a text message and it will respond with the boat position is very useful
 
Hurricane said:
Here is a link to the Navis kit
http://www.navis-anemometers.com/
Note - just the anemometer - not the version with the wind vane (the vane measures angles from the direction you mount it - not mag north)
Otherwise, it is a great bit of kit and IMO not expensive.
I've mounted a boss/stud on our radar arch and the Windy just fits on top whenever we need it.
Again - no drain on the ships batteries.
Click to expand...

Mike,

Just looked at details of the anemometer, it says mount is on a 20mm pipe but no more information. Does it screw onto a threaded 20mm pipe? Would be great if you had more info/pictures of mount.

Thanks

Richard
 
Richard.C said:
Mike,

Just looked at details of the anemometer, it says mount is on a 20mm pipe but no more information. Does it screw onto a threaded 20mm pipe? Would be great if you had more info/pictures of mount.

Thanks

Richard
Click to expand...

I don't remember if there is a thread.
I mount mine on a 20mm s/s fitting (pipe) that it slides over.
The Windy's fitting has an allen screw in the side that holds it onto the 20mm vertical fitting.
That way I can easily remove it during the winter months.
 
BartW said:
yes it is : Openwater Anker Alarm,
avatar: blue anker, and green & red surrounding
price 1.09e
Click to expand...

perhaps for the UK it's
Openwater Anchor Alert... 99p on appstore.

thanks for the link - have added it to my iphone.
 
Last edited:
Hurricane said:
I don't remember if there is a thread.
I mount mine on a 20mm s/s fitting (pipe) that it slides over.
The Windy's fitting has an allen screw in the side that holds it onto the 20mm vertical fitting.
That way I can easily remove it during the winter months.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike & Bart for replies.
 
Slept like a baby for many years swinging on the hook.

Agree don't use a main chart plotter because its probably too far away from master cabin berth at night to wake you and unnecessary battery drain.

We use a little HH GPS placed by a window in our cabin so its close enough to wake us should it go off, which its only done twice in the past 15 years, both false alarms due to small guard zones. It's connected to a 12v socket, but also has AA batteries for backup. I have tried loads of smartphone apps, most very good, but a) I don't trust phone battery life, and b) HH GPS much more accurate +/- few meters where as smartphone GPS are not that precise.

The major advantage of smartphone apps for anchor watch is remote monitoring when one has gone ashore for dinner, cycling, shopping or exploring. But you then have to leave one phone behind, or have an old spare with an active sim card including data.
 
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