Using an iPad, iPhone, iPod to Route Plan and navigate..

[chartnavigator]

There are now quite a few navigational aid Apps for the iPad. Some of them are also compatible with iPhone and iPod making them ideal for use in the cockpit, particularly at night.

Recently I made a night passage from Yarmouth to Portsmouth and a fellow crewman used Navionics on the iPhone to pinpoint our position perfectly, all the way. It was particularly useful finding the 'inner swashway' with it's low intensity lights, 'Vail Williams' and 'Shipbuilders', which are very difficult to see against background lights until you are nearly upon them.

All this is well and good though but which Apps are best for preparing a passage beforehand. I have and use Imray Chart Navigator and iNavX and much prefer the former for forward planning because of it's very clever 'Distance measuring' ruler. I have no experience of Navionics and would appreciate other forum users insights regarding it's usefulness in tide stream compensation and route planning before I 'try and buy'.

Forward Planning, (particularly allowing for tide streams), is one aspect of navigation that does not seem yet practically possible on a mobile phone or the like, it would seem.

Any opinions?

 

[Cardo]

I am fond of Navionics. I have this on my iPhone and iPad. I use the iPad to plan routes, which then sync to my Raymarine e7 on the boat.

I also have a waterproof case that mounts onto the binnacle so I can use Navionics or RayControl to assist with navigation at the wheel.

 

[wotayottie]

Forward Planning, (particularly allowing for tide streams), is one aspect of navigation that does not seem yet practically possible on a mobile phone or the like, it would seem.

Any opinions?

No it isnt. Not really. IMO, decent passage planning is only really possible on paper charts or maybe, just maybe, on a 26 inch display of the sort some Mobos have.

I have the navionics thingy on my phone, plus a plotter plus paper charts plus a lappy on board. And I like gadgets so no bias in these comments.

In real life sailing its paper or plotter. If the plotter fails as it once has done, then its paper for me. The lappy sits there and hasnt been used for nav for a couple of years but it is good for www on board and for TV. The navionics on the phone is occasionally switched on when I'm bored on a long passage and want something to play with but the screen is way too small for any useful nav as is the battery life when logging on to satellites. Dont know how useful and IPad could be but I p[lane to get one as an interesting gadget.

I know its old fashioned and I know its not as sexy as a new gadget, but really there is no substitute for paper charts.

 

[chartnavigator]

really there is no substitute for paper charts.

I agree. However, (as a gadget project), you might be impressed by Imray Chart Navigator on the iPad. All the feeling of doing it the dividers and paper chart way, with the convenience of sitting in your arm chair with the iPad. You can produce a Passage Plan complete with tide stream compensated headings which you can plot on your real Imray charts with 2B pencil, well before you actually do the passage.

You cant beat the look, feel and reliability of paper charts though. Which is why I prefer the 'real chart' raster views of Chart Navigator to the 'blocky' vector scan views of iNavX and Navionics.

 

[mrming]

I'm using a third generation iPad (wifi only) as a chart plotter on my First 235. I'm using a box of tricks called a DMK Box to send it GPS information over wifi. The DMK Box also sends GPS data via NMEA to my VHF.

It's working really well so far. I've been working with computers and networks for years so for me it makes sense to have an upgradable system based on a multi function device rather than paying through the nose for a proprietary chart plotter which only does one thing.

In terms of software I use iNavX and the Navionics charts for UK & Ireland (28XG).

The only real downside is that the display is not great in direct sunlight, but if you use it downstairs at the nav station on the (rare) sunny days then it's fine.

Edit - probably also worth mentioning that I'm using the Lifeproof iPad case which is fully waterproof, and that I also use good old paper charts as a backup.

 

[Behome]

I use the Imray chart Navigator package for planning on an iPad and find it excellent, less use at sea though, where I find the Navionics more user friendly for occasional position checking. Given the low cost of these apps having both is no real burden. Having also seen navx I was very impressed with it and might have gone that way if I'd not had the other apps.
I still lay out the plan on a paper chart and stick the way points into a hand held gps for reference in the cockpit.

 

[wotayottie]

I still lay out the plan on a paper chart and stick the way points into a hand held gps for reference in the cockpit.

Thats the dodgy bit - surprising how often fat finger syndrome means you put in the wrong position.

 

[chartnavigator]

Thats the dodgy bit - surprising how often fat finger syndrome means you put in the wrong position.

Ah! but that's when the route being all laid out on the iPhone / iPod comes in. You can see any 'kinks' in the rhumb line that shouldn't be there, on screen, so you know the co-ordinates must be OK.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Does anyone do tidal stream compensation calculations any more?

On most legs I just start the boat along a heading to the destination, perhaps with a small offset into the tide and then adjust accordingly to XTE.

On long passages as the tide changes, for example cross channel, it's better to do an overall offset anyway.

 

[chartnavigator]

Does anyone do tidal stream compensation calculations any more?.

Well, probably not when sailing recreationally but what about a passage round Portland Bill or an entry or exit from the East entrance to the Solent. If you leave those just to 'the luck of the hour' you could come unstuck big time and find yourself going backwards even with your engine at full bore.

I think it must still be worth getting the tide in your favour wherever there is any appreciable stream running, just in the interests of fuel economy or personal satisfaction in good seamanship.

 

[Reptile Smile]

Navionics (as others here indicate) is fab for a quick position check, and as the vast majority of my sailing is single handed, I rely on it heavily.

Nonetheless, it is hopeless at passage planning. I wanted to find out whether there are any equivalent apps to the Imray package (or otherwise) on Android - I'm keen to avoid dogma, and would get an iPad if absolutely necessary, but far prefer Android where possible (I don't want this to become a 'vs' discussion - I just want to find out whether there are any equivalences..!)

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Well, probably not when sailing recreationally but what about a passage round Portland Bill or an entry or exit from the East entrance to the Solent. If you leave those just to 'the luck of the hour' you could come unstuck big time and find yourself going backwards even with your engine at full bore.

I think it must still be worth getting the tide in your favour wherever there is any appreciable stream running, just in the interests of fuel economy or personal satisfaction in good seamanship.

That's not what I mean. Of course we time our passages to have the tide with us, or to pass a point at the optimum flow, but with modern plotters I cannot be bothered to calculate a steering tidal offset.

 

[chartnavigator]

Navionics (as others here indicate)

Nonetheless, it is (iNavX), hopeless at passage planning. I wanted to find out whether there are any equivalent apps to the Imray package (or otherwise) on Android - I'm keen to avoid dogma, and would get an iPad if absolutely necessary, but far prefer Android where possible (I don't want this to become a 'vs' discussion - I just want to find out whether there are any equivalences..!)

I'm glad to see someone else has tried iNavX for passage planning and found it does not cut the mustard. I have it on my iPad for it's other features. There is plenty of room for both.

Imray certainly does offer better tools for that particular job. I've tried to find any mention of 'Imray' or 'Tucabo' in connection with Android but have completely drawn a blank. If the Chart Navigator App exists on Android then Google has no knowledge of it, unfortunately.

Unfortunate if you already have an Android, unless Tucabo has future plans to produce an Android version of it's Chart Navigator and Tides Planner software.

I have not researched the merits of Android over iPad from the hardware point of view apart from I think the Android is a bit cheaper.

 

[chartnavigator]

That's not what I mean. Of course we time our passages to have the tide with us, or to pass a point at the optimum flow, but with modern plotters I cannot be bothered to calculate a steering tidal offset.

On an actual passage in real time, I can appreciate the tendency to do it that way, but are you aware of the affect on your course over the ground of making corrections 'as you go', in that fashion.

In a cross current, constantly tweaking your heading can lead you in a spiral way off your rhumb line and in some circumstances into hazardous circumstances. It's better to know approximately what your heading should be to compensate from 'the get go'. Then your heading should stay pretty much the same for half an hour or so.

I will admit it's silly not to use your GPS plotter if you have it though.

the iPad Chart Nav App can do that too.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

iNavX gets a lot of bad press on here.

Navionics just realised a £3 add on widget that turns the regular chart package into a fully functioning plotter with XTE, TTG, DTW, ETA etc.

I agree it's a bit rubbish on the iPhone but what do you expect on a telephone screen? On the iPad it's outstanding; sure we carry paper charts and update our position on them every hour on a long passage but the iPad is the winner for ease of use and functionality over paper charts.

 

[chartnavigator]

iNavX gets a lot of bad press on here.

Navionics just realised a £3 add on widget that turns the regular chart package into a fully functioning plotter with XTE, TTG, DTW, ETA etc.

I agree it's a bit rubbish on the iPhone but what do you expect on a telephone screen? On the iPad it's outstanding; sure we carry paper charts and update our position on them every hour on a long passage but the iPad is the winner for ease of use and functionality over paper charts.

I wouldn't say 'bad press' for iNavX. I don't feel disappointed at the price, and I still use it, (I like the AIS facility, even if it only works within 3G range). It's just naff at passage planning because of the stupid on screen 'red+green blob' measuring device.

Chart Navigator comes in a couple of lengths ahead on that issue. Give it a try with the Free sample app.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

On an actual passage in real time, I can appreciate the tendency to do it that way, but are you aware of the affect on your course over the ground of making corrections 'as you go', in that fashion.

In a cross current, constantly tweaking your heading can lead you in a spiral way off your rhumb line and in some circumstances into hazardous circumstances. It's better to know approximately what your heading should be to compensate from 'the get go'. Then your heading should stay pretty much the same for half an hour or so.

I will admit it's silly not to use your GPS plotter if you have it though.

the iPad Chart Nav App can do that too.

Of course I am. Did you not read my post?

"On long passages as the tide changes, for example cross channel, it's better to do an overall offset anyway."

I didn't say I fiddle with the heading all the time.

The Navionics app does not do any form of calculations as to what heading to steer. It will give you flow and rate information. That's all.

My point is that with a modern plotter I don't think many bother to do the calculation in advance. When the tide isn't massively across you, like your passage from Yarmouth, you are going to need more offset for leeway in a strong southerly wind than tide anyway.

What I would do for your passage is simple. Set off from Yarmouth. Point the boat up the Solent. Have a look at the plotter and the projected COG. Set the heading to give me the COG to a point roughly off Cowes.

No calculation required.

If you are tacking to windward the idea of a heading to steer is rubbish on that sort of trip anyway.

As I said, on a longer cross tide passage of course it is worth doing an overall offset, but if your sailing is anything like most people do on a long trip, and Yarmouth to Portsmouth is not a long trip, then obstruction, traffic and area avoidance is much more of an issue.

 

[chartnavigator]

I didn't say I fiddle with the heading all the time.

My point is that with a modern plotter I don't think many bother to do the calculation in advance. When the tide isn't massively across you, like your passage from Yarmouth, you are going to need more offset for leeway in a strong southerly wind than tide anyway.

My apologies, I now see your point. I thought you were suggesting periodically modifying your heading to steer to a mark. If you repeatedly alter course to steer to a mark using bearings given by your GPS you will sail further and might put your boat in danger.

I now see that you are referring to a plotter display rather than merely the bearing readout of a GPS navigation reference point.

My bad, sorry.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

. I have and use Imray Chart Navigator and iNavX and much prefer the former for forward planning because of it's very clever 'Distance measuring' ruler.

But you would say that, wouldn't you.

I am sure there was a thread about this debate a couple of months ago.

 

[chartnavigator]

But you would say that, wouldn't you.

I only say it as it is . Call 'em as you see 'em, is what I say.

I am sure there was a thread about this debate a couple of months ago.

Surely not?

Now don't get moody Nick.