iPhone Tide Apps

[Dick Kobayashi]

I am looking for advice on tide and current apps that would be particularly useful in New England. I welcome any suggestions. I use an iphone not an ipad and I'd like an app that can function off line. Current info would be great IF it is similar in coverage and accuracy to Eldridge. Simple real time current station data is not helpful around here.

All thoughts welcome.

[John Stone]

Dick
I have to ask. Why don’t you carry the Eldridge on your boat? That’s what I use. Is there another reason for wanting an iPhone app?

John

[Neil Gordon]

I always have Eldridge on board. No batteries required.

I also have the Navionics app on my phone... charts, tides, currents and lots more. But you should still have Eldridge on board.

[Carl Thunberg]

Hi Dick,

The ability to function off-line is the challenge. I did a fairly extensive search on the App Store, and didn't see anything. Someone with more tech savvy than I may find something. App developers make their money through subscription services and advertising. Working off-line doesn't fit their business model. Good luck!

[Dick Kobayashi]

Thanks guys. I will stick with Eldridge for current and there are lots of apps (including paper ones) for tides. Current is what is important around BB. And it is correct that Eldridge never needs batteries.

Fair Winds

[Collin Harty]

Aye Tides works without a data connection: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ayetide ... 16432?mt=8 I've been a happy user for years. It also integrates nicely with iNavX navigation software, if you are user of that.

Collin

[David Morton]

I like TideTrac. Data is presented in daily and monthly formats, easy to see at a glance. interactive to allow seeing the tide level at any time during the cycle.
Eldridge is fine, but tech is good. So are fiberglass, LEDs, and electric bilge pumps, VHF radio and GPS ... No reason you have to live in the 19th century.

http://www.tidetrac.com

David

[John Stone]

tech is good. So are fiberglass, LEDs, and electric bilge pumps, VHF radio and GPS ... No reason you have to live in the 19th century.

http://www.tidetrac.com

David

Did I miss something? I reread this thread and don’t see where anyone suggested technology is bad.

[David Morton]

Did I miss something? I reread this thread and don’t see where anyone suggested technology is bad.

Ah Ha!! My point, exactly!!

[John Stone]

Ah Ha!! My point, exactly!!

Hardly. Technology is not always good either.

It’s ok to live in the 19th century if you don’t want the 21st Century diminishing your desired experience.

Technology is neither good nor bad. It’s a tool to be used or avoided as one desires based on what one is looking for with regard to the sailing experience. I tend to avoid electronic technology as have found it to be unreliable in the long haul, expensive, overly complicated, and the source of cascading decisions that further complicate my boat in order to make the technology work to its full potential.

But the biggest reason I avoid electronic technology is it serves as a barrier between me and the sailing experience I crave. I don’t want it to be too easy. I want to be challenged. I desire that what I have learned over my sailing life along with my “witts” be an integral part of my decision making. That makes it rewarding and fun for me.

I’m just like anyone else, if I have a system on the boat that makes something easier I will tend to use it if it’s available.

I see sailing technology as a sliding scale. On one side is a boat like the Dashew’s FPB—electronic or hydraulic everything. Cutting edge. Highly capable but highly complex. It’s a technology centric boat. On the other end is a boat like Taleisin or Wanderer III. I’d rather my experience be closer to Taleisin at this point in my life. Next year I may feel like moving the scale more the other way.

There is no right or wrong as long as the degree of technology you use makes your sailing experience as rewarding as you want it to be.

If it’s too hard then you won’t want to do it. If it’s to easy and not challenging enough then you won’t want to do it. You have to determine where on that scale is best for you.

Philosophically, I seem to be more aligned with JFKs assessment that “we undertake this challenge not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.”

So for me, less is more. You might be different. And as long as you know what you want, and make decisions accordingly, then you will have a better chance of achieving the experience you desire.

[drysuit2]

I use
http://weatherflow.com
http://www.noreast.com
&
https://magicseaweed.com

I pay for the premium service of iwindsurf, with weatherflow. I have for over 30 years. Worth every penny.
My needs are a little more specialized than most. I need accurate wind, swell, and tide forecasting & alerts. So I know when to schedule meetings...and when to schedule "meetings".

Hope this helps

[Neil Gordon]

Thanks guys. I will stick with Eldridge for current and there are lots of apps (including paper ones) for tides. Current is what is important around BB. And it is correct that Eldridge never needs batteries.

Fair Winds

Tides might not matter if you sail between the buoys. Not so when anchoring though, where 4' plus or minus can make a bit of a difference.