Thoughts on Navily

[kingsebi]

Great App to share up to date information about anchorages. It’s been four years I’m using the free version in the Mediterranean. In this time it has become very popular.

One problem is that people don’t stick to navigational and cruising orientated information in their reviews. The other is that people “contribute” when they have nothing to add. This together creates a quantity of useless information that I don’t want to waste my time with. As a consequence I have almost stopped using the app which is a shame because it could be very useful.

Under navigational information I understand: Depth, seabed type, wind/wave shelter, gusts, underwater obstructions, traffic

Cruising orientated information could include: dinghy dock, supermarket, hardware/marine store, gas bottle exchange, restaurant/bar

Please correct me if I forgot something.

My advice: Be short and precise. Don’t jabber. I don’t care how your day was. Read the other reviews and if you have nothing to add then please don’t. Don’t tell me to anchor on the sand patches and not on the seaweed. I don’t care how much chain you laid out and if you backed up under motor. Don’t tell me there is good holding when you have been there in a Force 2. If you want to review restaurants, please go somewhere else.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Irish Rover]

Great App to share up to date information about anchorages. It’s been four years I’m using the free version in the Mediterranean. In this time it has become very popular.

One problem is that people don’t stick to navigational and cruising orientated information in their reviews. The other is that people “contribute” when they have nothing to add. This together creates a quantity of useless information that I don’t want to waste my time with. As a consequence I have almost stopped using the app which is a shame because it could be very useful.

Under navigational information I understand: Depth, seabed type, wind/wave shelter, gusts, underwater obstructions, traffic

Cruising orientated information could include: dinghy dock, supermarket, hardware/marine store, gas bottle exchange, restaurant/bar

Please correct me if I forgot something.

My advice: Be short and precise. Don’t jabber. I don’t care how your day was. Read the other reviews and if you have nothing to add then please don’t. Don’t tell me to anchor on the sand patches and not on the seaweed. I don’t care how much chain you laid out and if you backed up under motor. Don’t tell me there is good holding when you have been there in a Force 2. If you want to review restaurants, please go somewhere else.

Just my thoughts.

Wrong side of the bed today??
Seriously, you're complaining about people posting irrelevant information on Navily on an unrelated forum. Somebody could legitimately say, what's this got to do with YBW, why don't you post it on Navily. I like Navily and while I agree there's a fair amount of clutter, it's worth sifting through it to get the information you want. If it was restricted to strict navigational contributions I think we would miss out on a lot of interesting contributions. I particularly like being able to message others in my next intended port to check on space availability, weather etc.

 

[kingsebi]

Maybe… I admit that I didn’t know where to put this. I’m not aware of a forum on Navily. So I thought here as it is sailing related.

I agree that it’s sometimes worth sifting through, but why should you have to shift through in the first place?

Take for example Taormina anchorage. 240 reviews. Suppose I go there in bad weather and want to find the one review where someone weathered a storm. I will have to read for hours. Isn’t that defying the purpose?

Being able to message others is another thing and you are right about it being a great feature.

 

[Irish Rover]

Isn’t that defying the purpose?

The purpose is to make money for the owners/creators and if you restrict what people can post then many will desert the site.

 

[Bristolfashion]

It's the problem with unedited information of all kinds - quality - different opinions, dodgy, unverified "facts", out of date info, irrelevant info, poor quality photos etc. But, it's cheap to produce.

A pilot guide by a single author or with a controlling compiler is much more likely to be consistent, but is more expensive.

 

[kingsebi]

A pilot guide by a single author or with a controlling compiler is much more likely to be consistent, but is more expensive.

An online community is potentially much more up to date though.

 

[Sea Change]

I share some of the OP's frustrations. We have used Navily extensively in the Med and the Caribbean. It's generally very useful, but you have to ignore the reviews where an anchorage is marked down because the bar didn't serve a particular cocktail.
It would be a big improvement if the ratings you see were determined by what type of information you choose- I generally just want to know if it has good shelter and holding.

Messaging has good and bad points. We were inundated with requests from would-be hitch hikers looking for a lift across the Atlantic, which got a bit annoying. However we did also help somebody out whose boat had dragged in a squall- he was away on a trip and we were able to reassure him that the boat hadn't gone ashore (it had dragged about two miles though!)

 

[kingsebi]

The community edited anchor markers in Navionics usually provide more useful information, but coverage is not as extensive.

 

[Bristolfashion]

Do you use the free version?

 

[Bristolfashion]

An online community is potentially much more up to date though.

Possibly, but one can get loads of reports on popular destinations and few on others.

 

[kingsebi]

I use the free version. You are right. It cannot replace a pilot book or cruising guide but it could add to that.

 

[Stingo]

Have you tried www.noforeignland.com? I'm a huge fan. You can even block people that complain about bars not having the correct cocktails.

It's also available as an app.

 

[kingsebi]

Thank you, I will have a look.

 

[Stingo]

Btw, NFL also covers Information on dinghy docks, supermarkets, hardware/marine stores, gas bottle exchange, restaurants/bars and it's already there on the map. It is a community driven data geared to the cruisers.

 

[kingsebi]

Have you tried www.noforeignland.com? I'm a huge fan. You can even block people that complain about bars not having the correct cocktails.

It's also available as an app.

Great! Thank you for the recommendation.

 

[lustyd]

A pilot guide by a single author or with a controlling compiler is much more likely to be consistent, but is more expensive

I’ve had some terrible experiences with pilot guides, and the almanac. Just because someone is getting paid doesn’t make the information good or reliable. I wasted an afternoon trying to find a restaurant in the Scillies that never existed but luckily didn’t try calling the “new marina” in Falmouth that was never built. The phone number for the Lulworth ranges has been wrong for at least 10 years in Reeds.
I’m not saying community content is great, but published content isn’t better.

 

[Sea Change]

I’ve had some terrible experiences with pilot guides, and the almanac. Just because someone is getting paid doesn’t make the information good or reliable. I wasted an afternoon trying to find a restaurant in the Scillies that never existed but luckily didn’t try calling the “new marina” in Falmouth that was never built. The phone number for the Lulworth ranges has been wrong for at least 10 years in Reeds.
I’m not saying community content is great, but published content isn’t better.

This can often be the case, especially in newspapers.
I find that when I have more than a passing interest in a subject, I generally find that I can pick out errors in news articles. Anything to do with sailing being a good example.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I ended up subscribing to Navily and am regretting it. I was trying to book a berth for a client using Navily and it didn’t work even after I’d subscribed. The client tried downloading Navily and it didn’t work for her either despite taking a card payment to ‘confirm the booking’.

PS, For those who were wondering what happened, calling up the port resulted in them telling me to go and use Navily as they couldn’t take bookings over the radio or the telephone. Bizarrely when we went in and went alongside the fuel pontoon they found us a berth.

 

[Sandy]

A pilot guide by a single author or with a controlling compiler is much more likely to be consistent, but is more expensive.

And in a few cases you can chat over a pint in the bar about corrections edits in the next edition.

 

[kingsebi]

In my twenty years old edition of Heikel‘s Greek Waters Pilot there are two ports that were in construction at the time and are finished and abandoned by now. I know twenty years is a long time, but for the full lifespan of a port?

Not an argument for anything obviously, just a curious fact in my opinion.