Cheap bastid that I am, I've been reluctant to spend the necessary on a chartplotter, which in my case would also mean installing a battery, etc., in my Ty. As an alternative, I've installed OpenCPN on my phone and on a tablet and have been using the app this past Summer.
On my last outing of the season, I decided to sail from Sprucehead Island to the Hurricane Island Sound off the coast of Vinalhaven, a round trip of about 20nm (see chart). Midway in my return crossing of the bay (just around the PA buoy, for those of you who know these waters) a big bank of fog came rolling up from the south and put me in thick pea soup for the remainder of the day. With visibility down to no more than fifteen yards, I had no choice but to rely on OpenCPN. The little darlin' worked like a charm and brought me in to my mooring just as it was getting dark and the battery on the tablet was giving out. Saved my bacon!
OpenCPN is free (https://opencpn.org/) and runs on all major operating systems. It uses charts you download from NOAA, also free. It can get a little hinky if the touchscreen gets wet; I have my tablet in a water-resistant case and keep it face down on the cushion when I'm not actually using it. You can plot courses and measure distances as well as use it as an active chartplotter and you can also use it to print out custom charts, as I've done with the chart below. Highly recommended.
https://pjustphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures/9
OpenCPN on a tablet vs chartplotter
Moderator: Jim Walsh
OpenCPN on a tablet vs chartplotter
Peter Just
Typhoon Weekender #602, Dolcetto, Spruce Head, ME
"It is not with impunity that we go out on the water, but with sufferance." - Roger C. Taylor
Typhoon Weekender #602, Dolcetto, Spruce Head, ME
"It is not with impunity that we go out on the water, but with sufferance." - Roger C. Taylor