Captain's Mate App Cruising Association

Irish Rover

Irish Rover

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Joined
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I'd be interested in getting access to this app but membership of the CA is pricey and I doubt I'd get a lot more benefit from membership given my location etc. I've sent an e mail to the CA yesterday asking if there's a cheaper associate membership arrangement which would give me access. In the meantime I'd really like to see a sample of the information available on the app and I'm wondering if someone would be kind enough to share a sample with me - ideally I'd like to get a sample for one of the Aegean Islands as I have other pilot books I can compare against to assess relative value.
Apologies if acceding to this request is in breach of any CA rules or otherwise upsets anyone. It's definitely not my intention nor do I want to freeload. I just want to see a sample before I commit to paying.
 
The CA website isn't very clear on this, but membership is cheaper for non-UK residents such as yourself. (I believe the rationale is that you're less able to make use of CA House facilities). I think I pay a little over £90.

Captain's Mate is basically an assembly of member reports for particular locations, searchable by name, area, or on a map. As well as obvious places like harbours, marinas, many of the reports are on anchorages. Many members are quite diligent at completing these, so they can be quite startlingly up-to-date.

If you want to give me a couple of locations in your neck of the woods, I'd be happy to PM you with summary of the Captain's Mate info on them.

P.S. You can also get a £25-off discount code for the first year of membership from existing CA members.
 
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It's just comments on ports and anchorages in text format. I have it loaded on my iPad and internal GPS takes the Captains Mate map to my location automatically and shows the locations around me that have had notes added. There are no chartlets. Fo ray marina comments have been added since 2017: about helpful staff, services available, a fact that a new mobile mast has been erected in the area improving mobile phone reception, a statement that the wifi has been improved, another that there is anew additional link bridge which is less steep than the older one.

If you post the island you are interested in I can summarise the text for you. Or PM me.

I am a member of both the RYA and CA. Both serve different purposes but I find the CA communicates better, in greater detail and on many subjects that are of interest to me. Also I will be using their extensive services to plan some northern cruises and staying in one of their cabins when I visit London for a Concert later in the year.
 
Thanks for the replies. Ikaria, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos all on my planned itinerary starting late June so if someone could share data on one of these with me I can compare with what I've got already from pilot guides, noonsite and wiki. Post or PM which ever you think appropriate.
 
The CA has some pretty good discounts arranged. I save my membership every year just from the 10% discount on marina charges. In Turkey there are discounts on things like liferaft servicing as well so you might find paying for membership quite worthwhile.
 
I sure the CA app is great , and in no way am I running it down or wish to run it down , but there a weath of info all over the net ,
Here one you may like to look at .
https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/
Navionics also have note on harbours , then although not so details is noonsite ,
One of my favour is google earth , the list just goes on and on .
But remember they are all just different people views you may just turn up and find what someone thinks is a good anchorage or harbours turn out to be a dump in your view
 
sailaboutvic said:
I sure the CA app is great , and in no way am I running it down or wish to run it down , but there a weath of info all over the net ,
Here one you may like to look at .
https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/
Navionics also have note on harbours , then although not so details is noonsite ,
One of my favour is google earth , the list just goes on and on .
But remember they are all just different people views you may just turn up and find what someone thinks is a good anchorage or harbours turn out to be a dump in your view
Click to expand...
Thanks Vic. That site is new to me so I'll have a good look at it. As you say there's a lot of free information available to supplement pilot books and navionics but I'd still like to have a look at the CM app to see how much it would add for occasional less experienced cruisers like me.
 
Irish Rover said:
Thanks Vic. That site is new to me so I'll have a good look at it. As you say there's a lot of free information available to supplement pilot books and navionics but I'd still like to have a look at the CM app to see how much it would add for occasional less experienced cruisers like me.
Click to expand...
Also try Navily
 
sailaboutvic said:
I sure the CA app is great , and in no way am I running it down or wish to run it down , but there a weath of info all over the net ,
Here one you may like to look at .
https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/
Navionics also have note on harbours , then although not so details is noonsite ,
One of my favour is google earth , the list just goes on and on .
But remember they are all just different people views you may just turn up and find what someone thinks is a good anchorage or harbours turn out to be a dump in your view
Click to expand...

The beauty of Captains Mate is that it has thousands of members who make entries on a regular basis. Adding comments is very easy indeed, so in general it is possible to read advice that is only months old. Compare this with CruisersWiki, for example, which is remarkably complicated for authors and consequently entries are few and rarely up to date.

But as editor for Aegean Greece I have some sympathy with what you say. I frequently read comments that are almost diametrically opposed but it doesn't take long to spot the contributors who take a great deal of pleasing!
 
I joined CA last year, not really sure it would be of benefit, but have decided to continue. Cruising continuously means that you are always looking for detailed information and others' views. That comes from the Captain's Mate app. There are also discounts. I am far from London so never use their physical resources, but happy with what I receive. A forum query, for example, about Corsica produced an email from the CA's local rep.
 
As a CA member CM is quite useful and makes good reading, however I consider it a strong part of membership and as others have said discounts etc are also a great advantage. I feel your request should be directed to CA
 
Daverw said:
As a CA member CM is quite useful and makes good reading, however I consider it a strong part of membership and as others have said discounts etc are also a great advantage. I feel your request should be directed to CA
Click to expand...
If you read my OP you'll see I already contacted the CA. Truthfully I doubt there are any discounts available to CA members in Turkey which I can't access independently and I'm not in a position to access other discounts and benefits. I was just asking to see a sample so I can judge for myself and make an informed choice about parting with my money.
 
Just for you to note that a large number of CA members are not UK based and I’m sure the CA will respond to you
 
Irish Rover said:
I'd be interested in getting access to this app but membership of the CA is pricey and I doubt I'd get a lot more benefit from membership given my location etc. I've sent an e mail to the CA yesterday asking if there's a cheaper associate membership arrangement which would give me access. In the meantime I'd really like to see a sample of the information available on the app and I'm wondering if someone would be kind enough to share a sample with me - ideally I'd like to get a sample for one of the Aegean Islands as I have other pilot books I can compare against to assess relative value.
Apologies if acceding to this request is in breach of any CA rules or otherwise upsets anyone. It's definitely not my intention nor do I want to freeload. I just want to see a sample before I commit to paying.
Click to expand...

Membership of the CA is certainly not pricey in the context of owning and operating a yacht (or motor yacht). IIRC current annual full rate sub is £132. Something like 5,000 of us think this is worth paying for the benefits provided. Discounts are what you want to make of them, I haven't yet but may do so this year when my life raft is serviced. The network of "agents" scattered around the Med has been of value to me when we suffered a major mishap and the nearest port had an agent who helped enormously to sort us out.
On to Captains Mate, you have read the descriptions, must have used alternatives, it is certainly worth having as a passage planning tool. I have just spent an hour running through various entries in the Cyclades, ahead of a planned holiday in June.
Peter
 
A couple of posters seem to be getting a bit over-protective of the CA. Relax guys. I'm not trying to gate crash the party without paying and I haven't criticised your party. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worthwhile for me to join given my particular circumstances. True £132 per year is not pricey in the overall context of owning a yacht but it certainly is pricey in the context of getting access to pilotage information most of which, as Vic pointed out, is available as a free resource. If anyone wants to send me a sample I'll be grateful but if not thanks anyway for reading the thread. Happy sailing all.
 
I’m a CA member and find that CM is a useful addition to the basic information in the pilot book. All reports submitted since the app started are included, so you can follow how things have changed in a particular location, which is interesting if not always useful. The map interface is good and the easiest way to search. Also, be aware that this is not an offline tool: it requires a live internet connection to work. I wouldn’t join the CA solely to access the app but it’s an excellent membership benefit.
I also use and contribute to the Navily app mentioned by Vic. It’s a freebie, presents information in a similar fashion to CM and I’ve found it useful. It’s machine translations are sometime amusing....
 
Irish Rover said:
Truthfully I doubt there are any discounts available to CA members in Turkey which I can't access independently and I'm not in a position to access other discounts and benefits.
Click to expand...

I joined the CA last year and find the discount side of things a bit over stated. I was offered similar scale discounts at the half dozen marinas I enquired at for winter berthing before mentioning the CA. Captains Mate is easy to use compared to Noonsite, Cruiser wiki etc but doesn't contain any special info though there seems to be a bit of an thing about marina security, which I don't notice elsewhere.
 
OK, here is the listing for Levitha, an island that I think you have visited. The entries date from 2015 to July 2018. I have deleted names and dates.

No evidence of wind farm desecration yet but taverna owners are concerned for the future. Beautiful spot but best to get there in afternoon to secure a buoy. Late arrivals had to anchor with line to bollards on north shore but those arriving in the dark went to the western creek which seemed to have good shelter from north winds.
Levitha
A real gem of an island. Wonderful anchorage but do get there early. Also, please do the half mile walk up to the owner's home and have a meal cooked by his mother. BRING A TORCH FOR THE RETURN WALK!!
Levitha
Now 8 mooring buoys in two rows with pick up lines. Very sheltered from NW winds. No sign of any development. Two fishing boats and three yachts in. Still 7 euros for the buoy collected by owner. Lovely peaceful spot.
Levitha
14 buoys available - looked like some new ones recently laid. 3 still not occupied on Friday in early August. 3 fishing boats came in early evening and stayed on a buoy overnight. Still €7 and food in the farmhouse a delight. No sign of any construction work - beautifully unspoilt. Strong gusts off south of the island in lee of the melteme. West bay empty.
Levitha
All buoys in position in Nov 17. Same €7- perfect
Levitha
Been there a couple of times. Love it. Taverna owner also makes and sells wonderful hard cheese. I am pro wind farms, but admit that Levitha seems a seriously dumb spot to put one. Amorgos, Asti Palaia, Kos, and Symi are all in need of wind power. Only Tilos has done anything sensible.
Levitha
Ormos Levitha came highly recommended, so we dropped in for a night on our way east to Leros. Lovely deserted spot, with clean clear water, and thirteen mooring buoys in the eastern bay, with floating loops that are easy to pick up with a boat hook, then tie on with a good line to the top of the buoy. Apparently very good shelter from all winds, and nothing but goats and birds to disturb the peace. All buoys were taken by the end of the day we were there in mid May, but there is room for a couple of boats to anchor in the west bay. There is a small high quay, but this belongs to the family of the island for their fishing boat, and beside this a small, lower dinghy dock. The family charge €7 for the night on the buoy, and there is no truth in the myth that this is refunded if you eat at their taverna! The walk to the taverna is roughly half a mile over very rough ground, so good shoes needed, and a torch for the return journey. The food at the taverna was basic, rather dull, and vastly over priced. As you might expect in such a wild place, but just a warning, we saw several very large rats, chasing only slightly smaller mice around the floor of the taverna while we ate there!
A good stopover, but next time we will just pay €7 for the mooring.
Levitha
We arrived mid afternoon and found one of the last remaining mooring buoys in the eastern bay of the hammerhead. (Not where the dropped pin shows on the map of reports)
The space between buoys and rocky edges of the bay is quite tight especially in any wind but doable.
The taverna manager came down to tell us that the fee was €7 and to ask how many of us wanted to eat at the restaurant. If we wanted to go there we could pay our fees at the taverna.
We enjoyed stretching our legs on the walk up. We all had goat stew which was juniper infused and delicious. There was no evidence of any rats and the bill was €43 for three of us for starter, main, water and wine. You have to pay by cash only. Or leave your daughter to do the washing up! (We paid by bank transfer a few days later as we had no cash.)
 
vyv_cox said:
OK, here is the listing for Levitha, an island that I think you have visited. The entries date from 2015 to July 2018. I have deleted names and dates.

No evidence of wind farm desecration yet but taverna owners are concerned for the future. Beautiful spot but best to get there in afternoon to secure a buoy. Late arrivals had to anchor with line to bollards on north shore but those arriving in the dark went to the western creek which seemed to have good shelter from north winds.
Levitha
A real gem of an island. Wonderful anchorage but do get there early. Also, please do the half mile walk up to the owner's home and have a meal cooked by his mother. BRING A TORCH FOR THE RETURN WALK!!
Levitha
Now 8 mooring buoys in two rows with pick up lines. Very sheltered from NW winds. No sign of any development. Two fishing boats and three yachts in. Still 7 euros for the buoy collected by owner. Lovely peaceful spot.
Levitha
14 buoys available - looked like some new ones recently laid. 3 still not occupied on Friday in early August. 3 fishing boats came in early evening and stayed on a buoy overnight. Still €7 and food in the farmhouse a delight. No sign of any construction work - beautifully unspoilt. Strong gusts off south of the island in lee of the melteme. West bay empty.
Levitha
All buoys in position in Nov 17. Same €7- perfect
Levitha
Been there a couple of times. Love it. Taverna owner also makes and sells wonderful hard cheese. I am pro wind farms, but admit that Levitha seems a seriously dumb spot to put one. Amorgos, Asti Palaia, Kos, and Symi are all in need of wind power. Only Tilos has done anything sensible.
Levitha
Ormos Levitha came highly recommended, so we dropped in for a night on our way east to Leros. Lovely deserted spot, with clean clear water, and thirteen mooring buoys in the eastern bay, with floating loops that are easy to pick up with a boat hook, then tie on with a good line to the top of the buoy. Apparently very good shelter from all winds, and nothing but goats and birds to disturb the peace. All buoys were taken by the end of the day we were there in mid May, but there is room for a couple of boats to anchor in the west bay. There is a small high quay, but this belongs to the family of the island for their fishing boat, and beside this a small, lower dinghy dock. The family charge €7 for the night on the buoy, and there is no truth in the myth that this is refunded if you eat at their taverna! The walk to the taverna is roughly half a mile over very rough ground, so good shoes needed, and a torch for the return journey. The food at the taverna was basic, rather dull, and vastly over priced. As you might expect in such a wild place, but just a warning, we saw several very large rats, chasing only slightly smaller mice around the floor of the taverna while we ate there!
A good stopover, but next time we will just pay €7 for the mooring.
Levitha
We arrived mid afternoon and found one of the last remaining mooring buoys in the eastern bay of the hammerhead. (Not where the dropped pin shows on the map of reports)
The space between buoys and rocky edges of the bay is quite tight especially in any wind but doable.
The taverna manager came down to tell us that the fee was €7 and to ask how many of us wanted to eat at the restaurant. If we wanted to go there we could pay our fees at the taverna.
We enjoyed stretching our legs on the walk up. We all had goat stew which was juniper infused and delicious. There was no evidence of any rats and the bill was €43 for three of us for starter, main, water and wine. You have to pay by cash only. Or leave your daughter to do the washing up! (We paid by bank transfer a few days later as we had no cash.)
Click to expand...

I always knew your a real gent . :)
 
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