Sail Magazine

by Donald McLennan

Sea Tow: the all-in-one app for your smartphone

by Donald McLennan, Posted May 6, 2013

Don’t let the fact that the Sea Tow app is produced by Sea Tow Services or that you are not a Sea Tow member dissuade you from installing it. This is a great free app...

Apps for Sailors: Garmin BlueChart

by Donald McLennan, Posted March 4, 2013

The free app is available from iTunes and includes high-quality world charts, route management, wind GRIB downloads and ActiveCaptain integration. Routes, tracks and waypoints can be wirelessly transferred between your iPhone, iPad and Wi-Fi-enabled chartplotter.

Apps for Sailors: Predict Wind

by Donald McLennan, Posted February 12, 2013

A day on the water revolves around wind, and there’s nothing more appealing than knowing where the next breeze will come from. Many weather apps provide current conditions, but PredictWind offers accurate and reliable wind forecasts.

Apps for Sailors: Postagram

by Donald McLennan, Posted January 8, 2013

“Wish you were here…” Postagram, an app from Sincerely, is an easy way to send postcards right from your smartphone. This free app uploads photos from your phone, Instagram or Facebook, prints them as high-quality glossy photo postcards.

Intellicast Boating App for the iPhone and iPad

by Donald McLennan, Posted December 7, 2012

For sailors who rely on smartphones, a good weather forecasting app is essential. Intellicast Boating for iPhone and iPad by Weather Services International (WSI) claims to be “the most technically advanced site-specific weather forecasting system in the world today,” and I tend to agree.

Smartphone Anchor Watch

by Donald McLennan, Posted November 8, 2012

Many onboard electronics systems include anchor-watch alarms that sound if a boat drifts too far from where you anchored it. But what if you’re ashore at that time?

Apps for Sailors: Smartphone AIS

by Donald McLennan, Posted October 11, 2012

While Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) have been appearing on more commercial and recreational vessels, many sailors still find it to be cost-prohibitive. As an alternative, I recently used a combination of smartphone apps and AIS websites...