British backpedaling : UKHO postpones phasing out of Admiralty paper charts until at least 2030 ! Six months after setting the goal of 2026 for the complete withdrawal from production of all paper navigation charts (¹), UKHO (United Kingdom Hydrographic Office) said the 2 February only in response to user feedback, It now plans to continue to provide a paper map service until 2030 at least (²).
XB-8000 new WiFi AIS transponder for mobile devices [Update]
Vesper Marine, company established in 2007 in Auckland (New Zealand), specializes in the design of devices for AIS data broadcasting. Their latest product, XB-8000, is a Class B AIS transponder certified NMEA2000® compact, low consumption, responding to the yachting market and small professional units. It was essentially designed with WiFi transmission in mind to navigation applications developed on tablets and smartphones.
[Update] After the acquisition of Vesper Marine by Garmin, this device is discontinued since February 2023. The brand name is also removed.
eSail4VR V.1.14 Update
A new version of eSail4VR just released in Windows Store online stores, Google Play, App Store (macOS), AppStore (iOS/iPadOS). It brings the following improvements since the major version 1.11 (¹) :
- Setting of the “VMG max tolerance” option increased from 0° to 20° (5° previously).
- Improved routing algorithms.
- Improved stability.
- Correction of the passage of the antimeridian.
- Correction de divers bugs
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(¹) eSail4VR 1.11 available on platforms [Update]
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eSail4VR 1.11 available on platforms [Update]
In gestation and intensive testing for several months, the news version 1.11 is available on all platforms (¹). A large number of new items on the menu, dont le « Mode Expert », a new routing engine, support for the “boost” effect well known to specialists. The improvements mainly concern the user interface to respond to the numerous requests and feedback from users. Let's see the details below…
[Update 29/01/2022] Fixes have been made to resolve crashes on certain platforms. See the latest versions on eSail4VR page.
Update ENCs Spain charts at Geogarage
Update of "rasterized" ENC charts Spain (IHM) at Geogarage for Weather4D Routage & Navigation and SailGrib WR.
- 101 updated charts (out of a total of 316 rasterized ENC charts).
The catalog includes the coasts of Spain and the Canary Islands.
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Updated IMRAY and Croatia maps at Geogarage
Updating card catalogs Imray for Europe and the Mediterranean, and catalog HHI for Croatia.
- Imray : 68 updated charts out of a total of 1358 cards in 9 catalogues.
- HHI : 29 rasterized ENC cards out of a total of 301 cards in catalog.
Available for Weather4D Routage & Navigation and SailGrib WR by Geogarage.
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The European Union is moving towards Open Data
Europe is moving forward slowly, but she moves forward… towards free access to data from public services ! March, the 21 December 2022 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union, under the reference C/2022/9562, The " Regulations of the European Commission establishing a list of specific high-value datasets and the modalities of their publication and re-use". Read more …
Iridium emails accessible via webmail
On this opening day of the Paris Nautic boatshow, and as the Christmas holidays approach, I can't resist providing a small gift to the users of the satellite messaging app Iridium Mail & Web app. A tip that I have just been reminded of in the last newsletter of our friend Dominique, to iTabNav.fr, that you may meet on the Booth E11 – Hall 2 to ROM-Arrange.
For those who don't know yet, the email account created for use with the Iridium Mail & Web app (¹) has been accessible for some time by a webmail From any internet browser. Read more …
Updated Weather4D manuals in French
- Weather4D Lite V.1.5
- Weather4D Routage V.1.9
- Weather4D Routage & Navigation V.2.2
Upgrade Changes.
As a reminder, updating books in Apple Books : Apple iBooks becomes “Books” [Update]
A new Expert Guide from Voiles editions & Voiliers
Navigate with a Digital Tablet and a Smartphone has just been published by Voiles & Voiliers, available in bookstores and specialist stores, since the Sails and Sailboats store, on FNAC Books and Amazon.
A digital version is online at Apple Books Store and also pour Kindle.
- Tablets and smartphones : choose your device and the essential accessories on board carefully.
- Navigation applications : review and detailed description according to your types of navigation, for the day, coastal, or offshore.
- Integration from mobile devices to on-board instruments : understand and implement.
An educational step-by-step 128 pages to keep up to date with the latest developments and equip yourself wisely today (19,90 € version papier, 19,99 € sur Apple Books Store). Read more …