Digitization, technological innovations and the unstoppable progress of intelligent systems make so many things possible today that were unthinkable years ago. This also applies to sailing. Modern yacht owners and sailors have long since moved beyond relying on on-board equipment to using smart yacht apps that provide everything from navigation to weather control to anchor position monitoring.
The market for nautical apps is now large, and so the question rightly arises as to which applications you should really install on your smartphone or even purchase in the paid version? That’s exactly what we at Merk & Merk, your professional yacht store, will tell you in the following article.
The four most important Nautic Apps at a glance
Numerous sailors who are already underway with Nautic Apps report again and again about the positive benefits of the digital skippers. To make sure you have the right yacht apps for your next sailing trip, we have compiled our top five most effective yacht apps.
Navionics
If you are looking for a boating app that helps you with route planning and navigation, Navionics is a good choice. In addition to classic GPS navigation, you get comprehensive information about bay depths, harbors, contacts, but also tides, wind conditions and points of interest. In addition, the yacht app allows you to share your live location so that acquaintances or family members can follow the route directly online. Although the boat app is also chargeable, the investment will quickly pay off.
MarineTraffic
If you sail in busy waters, the yacht app MarineTraffic helps you maneuver more safely through the environment. The yacht app shows the live location of vessels worldwide, provides real-time information about arrivals and departures in ports, and displays the registration number of cargo vessels. Using it reduces the risk of avoidable collisions and accidents, as you can see routes of other sailing vessels as well as large tankers directly live in the Nautic app and sail around dangerous spots.
Windfinder
When it comes to wind, wave and weather forecasts, the yacht app Windfinder is a real insider tip for sailors to plan a tour according to the best times. What can you expect? In addition to wind direction, you get up-to-date information about wind strength, air temperature, precipitation, air pressure, and wave direction and height. The yacht app pulls values from 21,000 weather stations for more than 160,000 locations. For tide and tide forecasts, there are 20,000 locations. In addition, all data is recorded in various units of measurement such as knots, km/h or Beaufort. The basic version of the Yacht App is free of charge. If you want more functions, you can opt for the paid Pro version.
Anchor Alarm
In fact, there are yacht apps that monitor the anchor position and automatically notify you when the boat moves away from its set anchor position while anchoring. Anchor Alarm brings the best features for this with its very precise functions. How do such nautical apps work? When you drop the anchor, the position is detected by pressing the button and you mark the safety area. You can increase or decrease this in the yacht app as needed. Once you set the position, it is stored in the app and continuously checked. If, no matter what time of day or night, your boat moves out of this safety zone, an alarm sounds on your smartphone.
Bonus tip: If you want to log your sailing trip and track your sailing routes in retrospect, download the yacht app NEBO.
Does the use of yacht apps really make sense?
In principle, yes, but you should always see yacht apps only as a supplement to your classic onboard instruments. Although the technology has improved continuously in recent years, the functions are still far from being 100% reliable. Our recommendation: Always keep a set of up-to-date charts on your yacht. With a radio you can always check the weather report in case of doubt. When you buy your yacht from us, we pay special attention to equipment that fits your needs.
You want to enjoy the comfort of a yacht on your next summer trip without worries? We at Merk & Merk will gladly take care of the suitable crew with captain, deckhands, cooks and stewardesses. Make yacht management and yacht service easy with us. Feel free to contact us personally!