This page contains a list of useful apps and and resources for sailors and travellers. It also includes a download of chandleries and shops that we visited when outfitting Wild Heart.
Chandleries and Shops in La Rochelle, France
You can download a detailed list of all the shops and chandleries we visited when we outfitted Wild Heart below.
Useful Apps for Sailors
Apps I use these Apps regularly when sailing. Please note, I use Apple products, so my recommendations are based on those used on the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Pro.
This is an offshore weather forecasting tool that allows you to create a route based on the weather forecast and also plan your departure according to the conditions. It allows you to download small files in a variety of ways; I typically use Wifi (if I have it) or Iridium Go!
Having learned how to use it, I wouldn’t be without it.
This is a relatively new app. The easiest way to describe it is a TripAdvisor for anchorages and marinas. Users add their ratings, comments and experiences on the anchorages and marinas they have visited. At the moment the numbers of reviews are limited. From talking to other cruisers in the Med, they refer to this App often but don’t always leave comments. It’s also a marina booking tool but as it charges a booking fee, I’ve never had the need to use/m
This was very helpful to use in Sciliy, Sardinia and southern Italy.
I use this as a chart backup for our Garmin Blue Charts. It often has more detail than the Garmin charts and it’s useful as a backup. When our depth sounder functional for a few weeks, this was vital.
As Navionics is now a Garmin company, it will be interesting to see how the 2 chart platforms are integrated in the future. I believe
4. Iridium Go! and Iridium Mail
When offshore, I use these apps to stay connected. I use it for SMS, email and weather downloads (on PredictWind) . I’ve tested the call function, but it wasn’t very successful; slow and dropped out frequently. The web browsing function is way too slow for it to be useful.
It’s a boat management tool so you can keep track of the boat details, all the items you have on board, maintenance schedule and outgoing expenses.
The only downside is having to upgrade to the Pro version to make it more useful and the fact that you can’t use it offline. It’s intuitive and simple to use.
I’m mainly using it for tracking costs at the moment.
This is a global ship tracking tool. I use it to follow friends boats, so its something I use from time to time.
This is the blurb from Garmin on the App “It creates a simple yet powerful connection between your compatible mobile device and your compatible Garmin chartplotter, charts, maps and the boating community.”
I haven’t really played too much with this. However, I have used it to download waypoints from weather routing and this has been very useful for passage planning and setting multiple waypoints.
Under evaluation. This app enables you to log your voyage automatically, plus add photos and share the journey. You then receive an email with a link to download your trips.
I’ve used it a couple of times and it seems to do a pretty good job. I’m yet to decide what I do with all the information once that trips over, as I log mostly for long passages.
The stars on anchorages and passages are beautiful. If you enjoy stargazing, this is the app for you. You can quickly identify stars, planets, constellations and satellites above by simply holding your iPhone or iPad to the sky. I’ve used this from time to time on night watch to pass the time.
Useful Apps for Travellers
For the previous trips, I use to create detailed spreadsheets with all the travel and accommodation details. It took me forever. This little app has replaced my spreadsheet and saved me a heap of time. Highly recommended.
11. Google Translate
Google Translate has helped me when shopping in supermarkets when I need to read the labels and in restaurants when ordering food. It’s great for conversations too.
Just remember to download the required language before you go travelling.
Of course. A must for finding your way around a new town or city.
If you have any other suggestions, please share in the comments. I’d love to try them out.