Great Marine Navigation Tool- saved our rears!

[Ehostic]

Last week I made the voyage from Toronto to Kingston, Ontario on my old C&C 30. We hit a pretty heavy fog and had to rely on instrument navigation. My 5 year old son accidentally dropped the handheld GPS into Lake Ontario shortly after we departed so I had to rely on my phone's GPS app. I was scared s***less. The navigation app that saved us is called Polaris Navigation System. I got it for my Galaxy S3 android just before we set sail (good thing I did). The software has a nice waypoint targeting system and is simple to use. Of course, I didn't let my son touch the phone! Anyway, thought I would share that. I'll post the link to the app here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...arisnavigation.

That version was free but for those of you who prefer ad free apps there is a paid version of what looks like the same thing (minus the ads) at:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ointsnavigator

[Joe A]

I just downloaded and will play with it.

[Istioploos]

The link does not seem to work.

[Joe A]

Google must have changed something. I believe that the following is correct.

The first one is Polaris Navigation system
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...dmlnYXRpb24iXQ..

The second one should be
GPS Waypoints Navigator



https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...YXZpZ2F0b3IiXQ..

[CaptRob]

Originally Posted by Ehostic

Last week I made the voyage from Toronto to Kingston, Ontario on my old C&C 30. We hit a pretty heavy fog and had to rely on instrument navigation. My 5 year old son accidentally dropped the handheld GPS into Lake Ontario shortly after we departed so I had to rely on my phone's GPS app. I was scared s***less. The navigation app that saved us is called Polaris Navigation System. I got it for my Galaxy S3 android just before we set sail (good thing I did). The software has a nice waypoint targeting system and is simple to use. Of course, I didn't let my son touch the phone! Anyway, thought I would share that. I'll post the link to the app here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...arisnavigation.

That version was free but for those of you who prefer ad free apps there is a paid version of what looks like the same thing (minus the ads) at:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ointsnavigator

Good one APP!! Here is my story too! We left Rockport, Maine heading to an island in our bay. We too where caught in a FOG that you cant see 3 feet. Our Garmin 441 was died because because of low battery. We could here stuff moving around out there but no visual. 30 min later It just dawned on me that we have charts, thats no help right.. except I remembered that I had put our car Garmin 205 gps in my bag because I didn't want it stolen while we were gone on the boat. HA!!! This should work.. And it did, it showed my car in the water and zoomed in to find a ferry route to safety. See a ferry route has no Lob-traps or cans and buoy's and follows the same path in to land.
However; you must listen closely for the Ferry in your path. and don't forget to use your horn.
Capt. Rob

[Auzzee]

You were apparently not plotting your progress on the chart as you made your way across the bay. I guess if you know the waters well there is no real need, unless it is an area prone to fog in which case it would seem your preparedness was not quite up to the standards your name suggests.

It's a touch ironic that you are advising one of our experienced voyaging members on power requirements in another thread....OOPS!

Anyway, good to see you made landfall safely and welcome to our forum. Hope to hear plenty from you in the future.

[BJSmith]

I'm always nervous if I don't have paper charts................

[CaptRob]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

You were apparently not plotting your progress on the chart as you made your way across the bay. I guess if you know the waters well there is no real need, unless it is an area prone to fog in which case it would seem your preparedness was not quite up to the standards your name suggests.

It's a touch ironic that you are advising one of ours experienced voyaging members on power requirements in another thread....OOPS!

Anyway, good to see you made landfall safely and welcome to our forum. Hope to hear plenty from you in the future.

Auzzee!
Thanks for pointing out to me that I did not give more and a lengthy detail’s on our story and situation here. However, in trying to make the story shorter I omitted the paper chart argument with my wife aboard with me at the time..LOL We in fact took out the old "Paper" to validate my position and findings on the Car’s Garmin 205 that we used, by simply selecting " Where am I".. This gave us our Longitude and Latitude information to find where we were, “On Paper”. After a quick validation, we proceeded to follow the Ferry route to our destination. Without any radar aboard, we knew we were sitting ducks awaiting, the slaughter. But, this is a choice that one has to make for themselves I guess.
We knew we had get out of harms way so we decided based on our Garmin 205 information and with validation on “Paper” we followed the ferry path on the Garmin 205 knowing that the path would match where it would not be obstructed by anything in our path. In fact, the next day after making the repairs to the Garmin 441 unit (Bad Wires) we used both units to follow the course we took and it was on the “DIME” every step of the way. We were so relieved to find this out. We also validated other ferry lines as well. At the end of a 3 week trip and safe at port, I was getting out of the boat to the dock and accident stepped on my car Garmin205 and yes the glass.. it broke. Later I contacted Garmin at support and they told me to “Just go buy a new one” because it would cost too much to fix.

You stated: “ It's a touch ironic that you are advising one of ours experienced voyaging members on power requirements in another thread....OOPS!
I answer: Auzzee, We would like to think we know everything but, the fact is..WE DON’T! I having a degree in engineering both electrical and mechanical and a advanced study in chemistry, not to exclude former CEO of ICON and with that said, I'm finding even today I am learning new tricks and by as Ronald Reagan said “Trust but Verify”. I do though; Find this type of provocative and possessive approach appalling that; You have to “Speak for others here!”….OOPS! I would think though, your time is better spent in “Promoting ideas, Communications and not “Scuttled – Butting” along and being “Controlling”. However; For the sake of our viewers, let the AX fall to the ground and move on, to a more constructive platform for people.

Capt. Rob

[Auzzee]

Sorry to have appalled you. I would provide a response but I don't understand what you are writing,. I think I should be a little insulted, but your language is difficult to understand.

[atavist]

Originally Posted by CaptRob

Auzzee!
You stated: “ It's a touch ironic that you are advising one of ours experienced voyaging members on power requirements in another thread....OOPS!
I answer: Auzzee, We would like to think we know everything but, the fact is..WE DON’T! I having a degree in engineering both electrical and mechanical and a advanced study in chemistry, not to exclude former CEO of ICON and with that said, I'm finding even today I am learning new tricks and by as Ronald Reagan said “Trust but Verify”. I do though; Find this type of provocative and possessive approach appalling that; You have to “Speak for others here!”….OOPS! I would think though, your time is better spent in “Promoting ideas, Communications and not “Scuttled – Butting” along and being “Controlling”. However; For the sake of our viewers, let the AX fall to the ground and move on, to a more constructive platform for people.

Capt. Rob

WHAT!... .

How dare you say that any of us don't know everything!!!.

I most certainly know everything... and I'm the only one who's ever been where I've been or will go where I'm going.

....

ok, just trying to bring a bit of levity to an un-necessarily tense thread...

that being said I do tend to agree with Dave on most things...
I think what he meant was that it would have been prudent to have already had your position plotted on paper maps... pulling out a GPS and plotting your position on paper after the fog rolls in is not "confirming" your position, it's just plotting your GPS position on paper... it doesn't validate that the GPS is right... you need a dead running plot, land, or a celestial body to "confirm" your position...

That being said. One of my favorite fog navigation methods is skinking in towards land a bit (away from navigational routes) and dropping anchor and just keeping a fog watch (if depth permits).... still with a coffee and tot of run.

[Joe Hill IV]

You guys are *all *astounding ie the more I read the more in awe and ever growing respect for your great knowledge generosity. Anway from here in the peanut gallery I surmize for whats it worth that old capt Rob to yr credit ya did pull it off... cheers. Hopefully you're greatful for Auzzee's well meant well founded input as so rightly pointed out by Atavist. Thx for the good read much obliged... sincerely//Joe