Navigation Mac & Co – Page 21

Cyberattacks and boating

Posted on1 th 202018 th 2024One comment

Garmin was the victim of a cyber attack that began on 23 last July and lasted several days. The resulting outage disrupted many of its online services.

Navionics customers could no longer access the Navionics server via their login credentials. L’application Navionics Boating, the Navionics chart installer and chart viewer have all been impacted. products could no longer be purchased directly from the Navionics website. Chartplotters could still be used as standalone devices during this Garmin outage, but the maps could no longer be downloaded or updated. Read more …

Nautical documents on electronic media [Update]

Posted on25 August 20206 th 202414 comments

(Article original 27 June 2018)

Since the publication of the division D240 replaced, applicable from 6 May 2019 (see my previous article), it is now official that mandatory nautical documents can be taken on board in digital form.

[Update 24/08/2020]

GPS accuracy [summer brief]

Posted on8 August 20206 June 20224 comments

I'm always being asked - and have been for ages - how much confidence we can put in the GPS on our tablets and smartphones. Probably at the risk of repeating myself, I persist in asserting that our mobile devices are provided with the most accurate GPS receivers that can be found in civilian use, especially for recreational boating. Read more …

Weather4D Routage & Navigation supports Imray charts

Posted on24 th 202019 May 20228 comments

With the delivery yesterday of the version 2.0.54, Weather4D add Imray (¹) to the Routing & Navigation, recently available in Geogarage. Five layers cover the Atlantic facade (²) , from the North Sea and Shetlands to the Canary Islands and the Azores, and one layer covers the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

But the most important are the three layers covering the western, central and eastern Mediterranean, which now provide detailed coverage from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea. An excellent complement to the international SHOM layer. Read more …

Smart navigation – From paper charts to augmented reality

Posted on5 th 20206 th 20245 comments

I relay here, in French, an article published in the British magazine Yachting Monthly (¹) the 30 th. The subject deals with the debate between paper charts and electronic navigation, by stating many truths, but also sometimes one or two untruths. The remarks have the merit of presenting contrasting arguments, and to obtain the opinion of recognized UK's professional boaters. Since the confinement imposes time constraints on us, let's take this opportunity to enjoy this instructive reading.… Read more …

Receive facsimile weather maps with an iPad [Update]

Posted on23 th 202023 th 20249 comments

An SSB receiver for leasure boating

HF Weather Fax to Black Cat Systems is an application allowing you to decode facsimile weather maps on an iPad, an iPhone or Android device. The analysis and forecast maps are provided by radio stations around the World. Broadcast on shortwave, they can easily be received by BLU receivers as found in boating catalogs.
Read more …

Receive graphic weather maps on iPad [Update-2]

Posted on16 th 202016 December 20256 comments

Weather analysis and forecasting maps developed by the NOAA (USA) and the Met Office (UK) cover vast areas over the Wold. They can be obtained sending a request by email to the weather server of british company MailaSail. With the latter, many maps are available in a listing (¹) in which it suffices to click on the links to load the request in a message ready to send.

[Update September 13 th 2025]

Iridium GO! app change de look [brief]

Posted on27 February 20202 th 2020One comment

The app Iridium GO!®, used on our smartphones (iOS/Android) to connect to the Iridium network via the device of the same name, just undergone an happy facelift. Nothing really fundamental, if not the user interface, but a stylish graphics help for first-time users. Read more …

Navigation Mac tutorials on your iPad [Update]

Posted on17 February 202018 February 20208 comments

A growing number of boaters now uses an iPad at sea. But offshore, when no network connection is available, and therefore no more internet access, how to access the various help or technical instructions concerning the tools used ?

The answer lies in building a library of files in PDF format that can be easily stored in the application Apple Books, for free, very fortunately. Read more …

Iridium GO! Positive feedback [Update]

Posted on17 January 20202 th 20256 comments

Iridium GO! cruising

Since it was introduced to the market in September 2014 (Eh, yes, 5 years already !) this device, with its indisputable ergonomics and excellent quality/price ratio, has become a must-have for offshore sailors. Easy to implement, without the need for an external antenna (except metal build) it can be used inside the boat.

A test run of several weeks, carried out in October and November 2016 during a transatlantic delivery, had already demonstrated its ability to download GRIB weather files and weather maps despite the low rate (environ 10 KB / mn). With the new Iridium NEXT constellation (¹) we notice since 2019 a real improvement in the global coverage without satellite disconnection.