It saddens me to end the year with a critical article, but the subject deserves it. I wrote in December 2016 (*) a sincerely positive appreciation of the evolution of the application Guides Escales 2017 - Bloc Marine digital version by Figaro Nautisme editions - compared to 2016. But for edition 2018, is unfortunately go back, supply regress and severe rate increase.
Unlike the print edition you can keep several years in your boat library, the annual update of the application Guides Escales clears all purchased regions the previous year. It is therefore not a purchase but an annual subscription, nuance!. And that's not all…
[Updated 2022] The Escales Guide has been withdrawn from sale.
The division of the zones returned to that 2016, increasing 12 up to 18 areas for the Channel-Atlantic coasts, and of 10 up to 13 Mediterranean and Corsica zones. Areas such as Barfleur-La Hague only include 2 harbours at 5,49 euros ! Prices now range from 5,49 up to 9,99 € depending on the area and the number of documented harbours.
Channel-Atlantic | Mediterranean |
Dunkirk-Boulogne 5,49 € | Cerberus-Port la Nouvelle 5,49 € |
Boulogne-Dieppe 5,49 € | Port la Nouvelle-Port Camargue 9,99 € |
Dieppe to Ouistreham 5,49 € | Port Camargue-Marseille 7,99 € |
Ouistreham-Barfleur 5,49 € | Marseille to Toulon 7,99 € |
Barfleur-la-Hague 5,49 € -> 2 harbours | Toulon to Saint-Tropez 9,99 € |
La Hague-St Malo 5,49 € | St Tropez-Cannes 9,99 € |
Channel Islands 5,49 € | Cannes-Menton 9,99 € |
St Malo-Perros 7,99 € | Bastia-Corsica Cape 5,49 € |
Perros-Brest 7,99 € | Aleria-Bastia 5,49 € -> 2 harbours |
Brest-Loctudy 5,49 € | Porto-Vecchio-Aleria 5,49 € -> 2 harbours |
Loctudy to Lorient 7,99 € | Figari-Bonifacio-Porto Vecchio 5,49 € -> 3 harbours |
Lorient-StNazaire 9,99 € | Porto to Figari 5,49 € |
St-Nazaire-Les Sables d'Olonne 5,49 € | St Florent-Porto 5,49 € |
Les Sables-Oléron 7,99 € | |
Oléron to Montalivet 7,99 € | |
Montalivet to Biscarrosse 5,49 € | |
Biscarosse-Hossegor 5,49 € | |
Hossegor to Hendaye 5,49 € | |
115,82 € | 94,37 € |
Knowing that the paper version is sold 30 € by region - Channel-Atlantic or Mediterranean - is to dissuade you purchase the digital version whose price has doubled from one year to the other.
And that's not all ! Depletion generalized of illustration : Aerial views of many ports have disappeared, Where a photo remains, it sometimes does not conform to the plan of the port (Saint-Malo-Vauban Basin, Guernsey St. Peter Victoria). Safety information has become significantly lighter, only remains COLREG. The currents charts simply disappeared, as well as the annual table of tidal coefficients. Tidal information is provided only for some station, and ends in October. In addition, off-line, The information available is lightened, It's a shame.
It makes you wonder if Figaro Nautisme wants really sell this application ! To finish, I find that the complete modification of the interface is frankly not a success, But this remains subjective. What a pity, The version 2017 was really successful and much more affordable (*)
[Update 20 December 2017] An update this morning shows at launch a popup offering to former buyers to contact support to restore their purchases :
It's indeed scandalous that the areas disappear from the iPad, after you buy them, when simply updating the Stopover Guide app via the Apple Store. The customer should be able to keep them without updating them as for the paper version. Especially since this annual subscription process is not announced to the customer in a clear way, which increases his dissatisfaction.
This business strategy is leading this application straight into the wall.
Le Figaro Nautisme should react very quickly.
Thank you for this review ,and happy holidays
The joke… Long live paper, in this specific case.
Thank you for your vigilance !